SailJuice Blog

After claiming a Finn bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996, Roy Heiner (NED) had turned to match racing, Soling and Ocean racing. A recent and successful comeback to the Finn scene during the Dutch Open championship last September has motivated Heiner for more! He will participate in this year Delta Lloyd regatta in the Finns, fourteen years after his medal and retirement from the Finn scene! Impressive stuff. Good luck to Roy.

In total, 30 Olympic medallists are ready for the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2010. This 5th event in the ISAF Sailing World Cup has attracted a very talented field with numerous World Champions. The 2010 edition has set record high pre-entries in all classes including the 2.4, with a total of 707 boats from 53 countries. As usual, the largest fleets are in the Laser, RS:X men and 470 men. Racing will start on Wednesday May 26th and will conclude with the Medal race on Sunday May 30th.

2009 Champions will be back to defend their title in ten out of the eleven Olympic and Paralympic classes competing in the Delta Lloyd Regatta, with the exception of the Star class.

Blanca Manchon (ESP) in the RS:X and Ed Wright in the Finns will also aim to retain their 2009 World Cup title.

Paul Goodison (GBR) will start the event as hot favourite in the Laser class. The 2008 Gold medallist and world N.1 has just claimed victory in the Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères.

Pierre Leboucher and Vincent Garros won the 3^rd SWC event in Palma de Mallorca during the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mapfre and will be keen to prove themselves again in a strong 470 fleet. In the women division, World N.2 Ai Kondo and Wakato Tabata (JPN) are back to fight for their title. Main opponents include last year runner up Emmanuelle Rol and Hélène de France. The french pair claimed victory in Hyères and lead the Sailing World Cup standings.

In the 49er, double World Champions, Australian's Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are making their come back to the European circuit for the Delta Lloyd Regatta. They are aiming to defend their title. The Sibello brothers (ITA), in good shape after their recent win in Garda, want to prove why they are leading the World ranking.

The British trio of Lucy MacGregor, Annie Lush and Ally Martin will face 23 teams in the Women Match racing division sailed for the first time in Medemblik on the new Elliott boats.

The only Champions absents among last year's winners will be Brazilians Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada in the Star class. After winning both the Rolex Miami OCR and the Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères, the Norwegians Eivind Melleby and Petter Moer are the favourite for the Delta Lloyd Regatta title as well as the 2010 Sailing World Cup.

The Delta Lloyd Regatta will mark the come back to international competition this year for Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) in the Finn class, for Polish duo Matesz Kusznierewicz (2 Olympic medals) and Dominic Zycki in the Star or Double world Laser champion, Australian Tom Slingsby.

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