Nine years after Evi Van Acker’s bronze medal in London, her poulain Emma Plasschaert set out on Japanese waters in search of a new sailing medal. Unfortunately it was not to be for the Ostend, because just like in Rio (with Van Acker) it was again fourth place.
Plasschaert nevertheless feels at home in Tokyo, because two years ago she won the Olympic test event there. These real Games didn’t get off to a great start, with 10th, 17th and 11th places respectively in the first three races.
In the middle part of the competition, Plasschaert had the wind in her sails and finished three times in the top 5. A medal was within sailing range, but with a lesser penultimate day (with a 17th and 21st place, the latter result being canceled was), Plasschaert still had a lot of work ahead of him in the all-deciding medal race.
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Plasschaert sailed into the medal race in fifth place, four points behind third, which was held by Sweden’s Josefin Olsson. The bronze motto was therefore clear: finish at least two places ahead of the Swedish (or hope that leader Rindom or silver Bouwmeester had an absolute off day).
Well started, half won, because Plasschaert started very eagerly. On the verge of disqualification even. After the first buoy, which she rounded in fourth, the Ostend steamed through to first place. At that time she was even on silver, because Bouwmeester had a messy moment.
But the Dutchman quickly corrected that mistake. Unfortunately, Olsson also continued to sail in Emma’s wake. At the penultimate buoy, the Swedish woman took the wind out of her sails and took over the lead.
With seas ahead, the Swedish and Plasschaert finished first and second, but in terms of places, that lead was not big enough for Plasschaert to threaten Rindom and Bouwmeester. The Danish held on to the gold (and jumped into the water out of joy), while Olsson Bouwmeester still knocked off her silver throne.
Plasschaert ends her first Olympiad in thankless fourth place. It is already the fourth chocolate medal for Belgium, after the fourth places for the 3×3 Lions, Marten Van Riel and Lotte Kopecky.
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