Sailing: An eye on Athens

First-time Olympians Sarah Macky and Peter Fox had scarcely crossed the finish line for the final time at the Sydney Games yachting regatta on Friday than their thoughts were turning to Athens.

Macky finished the Europe class ninth overall, with gold going to Britain's Shirley Robertson.

The 20-year-old Aucklander now intends going to university next year, possibly to study architecture, but the 2004 Olympics are also on the agenda.

``I'll be going for it to get to Athens,'' she said. ''Another Olympics is definitely on the cards.''

Macky began the regatta in fine style with a win on the opening day of her event.

But, being a sailor who prefers heavier conditions, she struggled with the light fluky conditions that have predominated on the harbour over the past fortnight.

When the wind did pick up for the early race on Friday, she finished third. But in patchy conditions for the second race, and suffering from dehydration, she finished 15th.

Having come to Sydney eyeing a medal, Macky said she was relieved to finish in the top 10.

``For a time today, I thought I might have dropped out of it, so I'm quite relieved,'' she said. ''But I haven't done as well as I had hoped.''

She had felt comfortable with her preparation and didn't feel there was anything she would have done differently.

``That's something I'll have a think about over the next couple of weeks,'' she said.

``But as I look back now, they just weren't my conditions.''

Fox, who had also gone into the regatta with hopes of a medal, ended the down the fleet in 23rd spot.

He, too, had wanted more wind than he got and his best race result was a ninth.

``I needed 15 knots and more to do well and I did struggle for speed,'' he said.

``The Olympics is something money can't buy and I'm pretty keen to give it another go. I don't think I'll stay with Lasers. Maybe I'll look for something new, a bit of a challenge, something different.''

Meanwhile, the Laser title will be decided in the protest room between Brazilian world champion Robert Scheidt and Briton Ben Ainslee, the gold and silver medallists respectively at the last Olympics.

Ainslee went into the final race second overall and knowing the only way he could take the title was to make Scheidt record a bad result so that one of his previous discards would count.

An amazing contest unfolded, with the two circling each other behind the start line for more than a minute after the gun had gone, before breaking off to chase the fleet.

They matched tacks up the first beat, with Ainslee covering every move.

But near the top mark, Scheidt suddenly dived away and gybed sharply on to starboard tack. Ainslee could not keep clear and the boats collided, with both sailors immediately flying protest flags.

Eventually, Scheidt broke clear, but was so far from the leaders that he finished 22nd, with Ainslee 37th, a result that provisionally gave gold to the Briton.

In the Star fleet, New Zealanders Gavin Brady and Jamie Gale put themselves in with an outside chance of a medal with placings of fifth and second.

But their hopes then immediately disappeared in the final race of the afternoon. They were on the wrong end of a windshift up the first leg and eventually finished last.

With Saturday's final race to sail, Brady and Gale are ninth overall.

Finn sailor Clifton Webb, who has two more races left, was 13th overall.

The Soling final on Saturday will be between Germany, skippered by defending Olympic champion Jochen Schuemann, and Denmark, led by 1992 gold medallist Jesper Bank.

Germany defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in one semifinal on Friday, while Denmark downed Norway by the same score.

- NZPA