Consistent sailing at the world championships in Brazil allowed Andrew Murdoch to nudge past some of the top names in Laser-class racing. Picture / Paul Estcourt
Consistent sailing at the world championships in Brazil allowed Andrew Murdoch to nudge past some of the top names in Laser-class racing. Picture / Paul Estcourt
Kerikeri sailor Andrew Murdoch has taken bronze at the Laser world championships in Brazil.
A win and a seventh place on the final day of racing boosted Murdoch to third place in a fleet containing plenty of sailing stars.
World and Olympic champion Robert Scheidt of Brazil won convincingly. TheOlympic champion in 1996 and 2004, Scheidt won nine of 14 races at the championships this week in Fortaleza, on the northeast coast of Brazil.
Diego Emilio Romero of Argentina was second.
"It wasn't one of those regattas where everything went our way," said Yachting New Zealand academy coach Ian Neely. "But Andrew managed to hold it together, bring in some consistent races and piece together a great result."
The only sailor to beat Scheidt in the six-race finals, Murdoch scored two wins in the gold fleet, adding to his two wins in the qualifying rounds.
Yachting New Zealand chief executive Des Brennan said of Murdoch's efforts: "Andrew has performed outstandingly at the highest level and in the most competitive fleet in Olympic-class sailing this year.
"His bronze medal was won in a fleet of 138 boats from 37 nations."
Murdoch edged out the current Olympic silver and bronze medallist, and a host of outstanding sailors.
Consistent trade winds meant that all scheduled races took place in a strenuous regatta with no breaks from sailing. Fourteen races were held over seven days, each race lasting up to 80 minutes.
All five Kiwis competing qualified for the gold finals fleet after finishing the qualifying rounds in the top half of the fleet.
Michael Bullot got food poisoning at the start of the finals round and had to drop out of competition for the last two days. That meant his final place dropped to 54th.
David Weaver was the second best New Zealander, finishing 34th, and Matt Blakey was 53rd overall.
Eighteen-year-old Blair McLay from Torbay Sailing Club finished 60th. He was competing in the Laser senior fleet at the world championships for the first time.
It is the second world championship medal for New Zealand's Olympic-class sailors this year. Sharon Ferris and crew won silver at the Yngling World Championships in Austria.
