Already under pressure

29/07/2024

In a light breeze, the 1st day of iQFOiL at the Olympic Games in Marseille on Sunday opens the hostilities of a long week of waiting ahead. The weather forecasts, which are not very optimistic, give little indication of the races and the competitors who will have to be there when the time comes...

It's a typically summery day when the sailing events kick off this Sunday in Marseille as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The programme includes blazing sunshine, high temperatures and a light south-westerly breeze that is struggling to exceed 9 knots. The iQFOiL competitors have the honour of being the first to take to the water, with the 1st official race scheduled for shortly after 12 noon for the women, followed by the men. But when they arrived in the Marseille race area, close to the public, it was clear that any attempt to start a race would be in vain. The anemometer oscillated between 3 and 5 knots and the race committee soon sent everyone ashore, the heat being difficult to bear on the water, even under a parasol fitted to the coaches' boats...

On shore, with nearly 10,000 spectators in attendance, the atmosphere is just right, with Pierre Le Coq (bronze medallist at the Rio 2026 Olympic Games) and his ‘iQFOil boys’, Louis-Benoit Hug, Fabien Pianazza and Jules Chantrel, all there to cheer on the French team!
But if the mood is festive, on the competition side, this 1st day foreshadows what will undoubtedly be the majority of the week. With a heatwave setting in over parts of southern France, the weather forecast is clearly not optimistic for the days ahead. As the competitors in this Olympic event already know, there are likely to be very few races on this event... And, as a result, they will have to manage the interminable wait, be ready when the wind arrives and take risks to get to the front quickly...

 

Source: World Sailing
Photos: Sailing Energy/iQFOiL Class - World Sailing/Jean-Louis Carli

tags: Jeux Olympiques Paris 2024 iQFOiL

Articles similaires

Bienvenue à Belmont Shore

L’image du jour, c’est la World Sailing qui vient de confirmer les sites de...

La Techno 293 toujours là !

L’image du jour, c’est la Techno 293, mise à l’honneur à...

En route pour Los Angeles 2028

L’image du jour, c’est la Française Lucie Belbeoch qui lance sa campagne en...
comments powered by Disqus
Gestion de vos données sur le site Windsurfjournal
En poursuivant votre navigation sur ce site, vous acceptez l’utilisation de cookies ou autres traceurs pour vous proposer par exemple, des publicités ciblées adaptées à vos centres d’intérêts ou encore réaliser des statistiques de visites.
En savoir plus fermer