Clark sailing team holds on to 4th place in Olympic sailing

Team Go Sail remains in fourth place overall after the third race in a 10-race series for the Women’s 470 Olympic sailing gold.

The races continue through Wednesday, after which the top 10 teams in the 20-team field will race Friday for a medal. Shelter Islander Amanda Clark and her crew, Sarah Lihan, were in the top three through much of Saturday morning’s first race, even holding first place for awhile, but ultimately fell to fifth place behind France, New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain.

“We had a beneficial forecast; it was advantageous for us,” Ms. Lihan said about Friday’s conditions. “It didn’t actually materialize, which was disappointing,” she said about the team’s placing seventh in the first of Friday’s races before moving up to third place in the second race.

“We were happy to go out and get two top 10s,” Ms. Lihan added. “We have done a lot of sailing over the past year and a half,” Ms. Lihan said.

Two months ago — competing with the same group of Olympians in the Skandia Sail for Gold World Cup regatta in Weymouth — the pair won the medal race, moving them up from sixth place to claim a silver medal.

“It was great to get the silver medal,” Ms. Lihan said. “Our mantra here: to do what we know how to do.”
Results of today’s second race will be posted as soon as they’re available.

To watch the races that continue Sunday at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., visit www.NBCOlympics.com. Mobile apps for the races are also available for both iPhones and Androids.

All results will be posted at www.sireporter.com as soon as they become available.

The races continue on Tuesday at 7:05 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. and Wednesday at 7 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. with the medal race on Friday at 8 a.m.