Ireland's medal hopes in the men's skiff sailing event have been put on hold for now, with today's scheduled medal race abandoned after some farcical scenes in Marseille.
The Irish duo of Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove came into today with a strong chance of a medal, sitting in second place in the standings. That meant that a finish of fourth or higher in the ten-team field would guarantee them an Olympic medal, although a finish that high might not have been required depending on the overall standings.
This afternoon's race was due to go off at 1:43pm Irish time, with the event being broadcast live on RTÉ television.
However, it soon became clear that not everything would go to plan for the organisers.
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Irish Medal Hopes Delayed After Farcical Scenes In Olympic Sailing Final
Today saw some sweltering heat in Marseille, with temperatures up to 34 degrees in the French city. That was also met with relatively low winds, something that would wreak havoc on the men's skiff medal race at the Olympics.
The first attempt to hold the race was abandoned inside a few minutes, with it becoming clear that there was not sufficient winds in order to hold a fair competition.
🚨 EN DIRECTO 🚨
Diego Botín y Florian Trittel, a por la medalla en la Medal Race que acaba de arrancar. Marchan líderes en la general
Síguela en @streammaxes pic.twitter.com/L6lPEklzkC— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) August 1, 2024
Ireland were probably delighted with that move, considering that they sat in eighth place at the time.
The event organisers would then switch up the course for the race, moving it a bit further off shore in the hopes of availing of stronger winds. We would see a delay of over an hour as they waited for better conditions.
Speaking on RTÉ, former Olympic medalist Annalise Murphy explained why the race was abandoned.
Annalise Murphy and Ciara Peelo explain the rationale behind the abandonment of the Skiff medal race.
Plan for rescheduled race to be broadcasted on @RTE2 later today #RTESport #Paris2024
📺 Watch https://t.co/b2OI4OoWVJ
📱Updates https://t.co/FdweZoIeSi pic.twitter.com/sfB4a5whjw— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 1, 2024
A second attempt to begin the race initially seemed successful, with the ten teams speeding towards the first turning mark. Ireland would find themselves in eighth position at this point.
However, things quickly went wrong soon after.
As the boats approached the second mark, the wind seemed to die down. What followed was a bunch up of boats at the marker, with the duos that had previously been leading quickly being dragged back into the field.
Soon, the officials opted to suspend the race for a second time.
It's the dreaded chequered flag.
For the second time, the men's skiff medal race has been abandoned for lack of wind#RTESport #Paris2024
📺 Watch https://t.co/b2OI4OoWVJ
📱Updates https://t.co/FdweZoIeSi pic.twitter.com/SdXRKfAib2— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 1, 2024
Now, it seems likely that the event will not take place until tomorrow.
Friday had been earmarked as a reserve day for this event, meaning it is not a huge issue in terms of scheduling. In saying that, it is far from ideal preparation for the athletes involved.
Ireland will have to regroup ahead of the third attempt to hold the medal race, knowing that a finish of fourth or higher will guarantee them a position on the podium.
Here's hoping that the delay works out in their favour.
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