Sports

Island's Olympian has solid grip on third place in French regatta

COURTESY PHOTO | Sarah Lihan and Amanda Clark racing off Hyere, France on Monday in a shot they posted on their Team Go Sail Facebook page.

Shelter Island’s Amanda Clark and her crew, Sarah Lihan, had a firm hold on third place at midweek, with a team from the Netherlands in first and Japan in second, after six races and  the third day of competition on Tuesday among women in the 470 class at the International Sailing Federation’s world cup event in Hyere, France.

The two women placed second and fourth in their two races on Tuesday and continued to edge out their U.S. competitors, Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar.

US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics athletes are in good standing throughout in Hyere. American sailors  hold top-10 positions in the Women’s 470, Laser, Finn, Sonar, 2.4mR and Star classes.

On Monday, the second day of racing, Ms. Clark and Ms. Lihan finished third out of the 48 boats in the race.

They attributed their success in a post-race interview to their strength sailing in windy conditions, which they have trained for but haven’t had during the past year of competition, Ms. Lihan said. The Mistral winds in Hyere have been strong, shifty and gusty.

To track results on the internet, chicl here. For a video interview with Amanda Clark after Monday’s races, click here.

On Sunday, the opening day of competition, the duo finished 11th after capsizing twice. Ms. Clark said because of their training and athleticism the two racers could come back after the two flips and manage even an 11th-place finish.

The American athletes got some good news Tuesday, learning that Sperry Topsider had stepped in as a sponsor, bringing 40 to 50 percent more money to the table, according to Dean Brenner, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Sailing Committee. Former top sponsor, AlphaGraphics, had pulled back from sponsoring the U.S. Sailing Team after going under new management.

He didn’t release specific figures yet on the contract but said in a Tuesday afternoon teleconference that there would be a significant increase in resources, including coaching, available to the U.S. Olympic sailors. Mr. Brenner said that much of the benefit won’t be realized in 2013, until after this summer’s Olympics.

But having the new sponsorship in place has “allowed our athletes to continue to focus on sailing,” Mr. Brenner said. He predicted that U.S. sailing teams would be very competitive in at least six classes, including the women’s 470.

After this week’s races in France, Ms. Clark and Ms. Lihan have two more international competitions before the summer Olympics. They’re due to compete in the Barcelona 470 World Championships beginning on May 13 and the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth, England starting on June 4.

The pair plans to be in London for the Olympics opening ceremonies on July 27, before heading back to Weymouth for their Olympic competition, Ms. Clark said. When she competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she didn’t get to participate in opening ceremonies and said it’s something she doesn’t want to miss as she has said this will be her final Olympic competition.

She told students during a talk she gave at the Shelter Island School this winter that her goal was to come home with a medal.