Olympic sailing week started this Monday morning in Hyères. A meeting which celebrates its 54th edition and welcomes more than 900 athletes of 60 nationalities in ten specialties. 465 days before the Games, which will take place a few kilometers away on the Marseille lake, this meeting, the second stage of the World Cup, serves as a good rehearsal and hides some airs of selection. Spotlight on the French delegation.
To the west, the peninsula of Giens. To the east, Cap Bénat. To the south, the archipelago of the Hyères islands. The decor resembles a vacation landscape. But the reality is elsewhere for the athletes who arrived at the end of last week to take part in the 54th edition of the Olympic sailing week in Hyères. It’s time for competition. Among the French, some were disappointed not to see their name on the list released last week for the Marseille test event in July.
The challenge is therefore simple: to convince a little more the breeders to reserve for themselves a place at the Olympic Games which are fast approaching. For France, it is the work of Jean-Luc Denéchau, president of the French Sailing Federation, Philippe Mourniac, director of the French team and Guillaume Chiellino, national technical director. The president of the FFV believes that nothing is done for the Games. “Everyone has a chance. We have many competitors capable of winning the selection. All are happy with this emulation and are leveling up.”
Bernaz in the lead
It is therefore a large review of the workforce that is being prepared for the blue white red collective with the exception of the snowboarders (Iqfoil), absent to prepare for the European championship which will take place from May 8 in Greece. There are therefore nine Olympic series to be scrutinized. In the dinghy, formerly Laser and now called Ilca 7 for men and Ilca 6 for women, the sailor of the year 2022 Jean-Baptiste Bernaz does not have to worry too much about his selection.
He is even one of the favorites to go for gold in 2024. But before participating in his fifth Olympic Games, the Maximois will have to do better than at the last European championship a month ago, where he was ranked 12th . Among the women, Michon, Barrue and Cervera are the three runners in balance.
Low blows in the “big family” of Kite, which aims for gold
In the Kitefoil category, which is entering Olympic competition, the fight is extremely tight. And for good reason: France has several men’s and women’s competitors capable of dreaming of Olympic gold. This is the case of Nicolas Parlier, one of the pioneers of kitefoil in France and triple world champion (2017, 2018, 2019), Théo de Ramecourt world champion 2021 or Hyérois Axel Mazella, dolphin of the previous one in 2021 and 3rd in 2022.
Same ultra-competitive landscape for women with Alexia Fancelli, 3rd in the world championships in 2017 and 2018, 2nd in 2021 and Lauriane Nolot 2nd in the 2022 Worlds and first in the European championships. This density lived well in this group until the approach of the event.
According to Théo de Ramecourt things have changed a bit. “It was the case until last year but with all these qualifying events, there were little low blows. I don’t think we are always in this situation of a big family and sharing, like it could have been for years unfortunately. You have to face the evidence of the issues behind it. Some will not hesitate if they can play with the rules or make small moves from behind to shoot their pin of the game. There were actions that were not in this philosophy of the group of friends who sailed together.
Objective podiums for the other categories
If gold medals can fall in Iqfoil, Kitefoil and Ilca 7, the other categories aim more for the podiums. This is the case in 49er where we find Charline Picon, double medalist in windsurfing. On a new medium and associated with Sarah Steyaert, the beginnings are complicated for the Rochelaises, who were not selected for the Marseille test event this summer. The Lara Granier-Amélie Riou duo is currently holding the line in this very open series, also for men.
Finally, the two mixed series, Nacra 17 and 470, which appeared at the Olympic Games in this form, still leave a lot of room for selection with automation to be created. This is the case in 470 of the very experienced duo Camille Lecointre, in bronze in Rio and Tokyo, associated with Jérémie Mion, world champion in 2018 with Kevin Peponnet. In Nacra 17, it is the youth that is currently on the rise with Nantes’ Lou Berthomieu and Vannetais Tim Mourniac. Like the others, both know that earning their place in Saturday’s medal race will be one more step towards the Olympic Games a few kilometers from here.
The next major events before the Games
July 7 to 16, 2023: Olympic Games test-event – Marseille, France
August 10 to 20, 2023: World Championships – Den Hague, Netherlands
September 16 to 24, 2023: European Championships – Porsmouth, Great Britain
The French at the Olympic week in Hyères
MEN
ILCA 7 (formerly Laser): Bernaz
Kitefoil : de Ramecourt, MazellaGomez, Nocher, Parlier
49er: D’Ortoli-Delpech, Rual-Amoros (absents: Fischer-Pequin)
WOMEN
ILCA 6 : MichonBarrue, Cervera.
Kitefoil : NolotFancelli, Newland, Kampman.
49er FX : Steyaert-Picon, Granier RiouLovadina-Dubois.
MIXED
470 : Lecointre-MionMachetti-Retornaz, Pacaud-De Gennes.
Nacra 17 (catamaran à foils): Twin-Elder, Mourniac-Berthomieu.
In bold, the athletes selected for the Marseille test event (July 7 to 16), to which should be added the windsurfers (Iqfoil) absent in Hyères: Nicolas Goyard et Lucie Belbeoch.
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