IFDS Worlds 2011
Het is Wereldkampioenschappen seizoen. Op mijn “Facebook” zie ik iedereen reizen naar EK’s en WK’s. Sommigen genieten nog van de Ronde om Texel. En anderen sturen mooie plaatjes van de Tour de France à la Voile. Heerlijk zo Face Book; je blijf op de hoogte van het laatste nieuws.
En ik doe daar ook lekker aan mee. Nog twee dagen en “mijn” WK begint ook. Want ik moet mijn titel verdedigen. Hieronder een extract van de voorbeschouwing die ik op de site van het evenement gevonden heb:
163 sailors in 96 boats (53 in the 2.4mR) from 30 nations will gather at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy from Thursday (30 June) for the IDFS Disabled Sailing Combined World Championships 2011.
More than 160 of the World’s top Paralympic sailing talents are ready to stake their claim for supremacy on the London 2012 race course as the IFDS Disabled Sailing Combined World Championships 2011 get underway in Weymouth and Portland on Thursday (30 June).
Thierry Schmitter is one of those defending World champions, having taken the top 2.4mR one-person keelboat prize in both 2009 and 2010. The Dutchman, who claimed bronze at Skandia Sail for Gold, admits he is relishing the chance to complete a Worlds hat-trick.
He said: “It would be an achievement to win three in a row but I am focused only on this Championship, what I have done at the last two is in the past. I don’t feel any pressure as the defending champion I just try to work as usual. At Sail for Gold people were certainly more focused on next year’s Paralympics than ever before; many people have stayed in Weymouth to train rather than going to other ISAF World Cup events like Kiel and Medemblik to race. I was happy with my result at Sail for Gold and the equipment we developed over the winter and things are going in the right direction.”
However, Schmitter is guaranteed to face stiff competition from Athens 2004 Paralympic champion and Beijing 2008 silver medalist Seguin, multiple World champion and Sydney 2000 Paralympic gold medalist Heiko Kroeger (GER) and Schmitter’s Dutch teammate, the Skandia Sail for Gold silver medalist Andre Rademaker is his quest for IFDS Worlds glory.
