Paris Olympic sailing: Games veteran begins comeback in Nacra 17, Australian results at Test event

A 52-year-old Games medallist has started his comeback at the Paris Olympic sailing test event as Australian teammates climb up the pointscore on a testing day in Marseille. Latest results, news

Australians were on the move at the Olympic sailing Test event.

Two-time silver medallist Darren Bundock’s comeback to Olympic class racing has kicked off in Marseille with Lisa Darmanin the Paris Olympics Test event as a number of his Australian teammates move up the pointscore after a day of challenging conditions.

Bundock and crewmate Lisa Darmanin, the Rio Olympic silver medallist with cousin Jason Waterhouse, has less than three weeks training together before hitting the water on Wednesday.

The pair, trying to qualify Australia a spot at the Paris Olympics in the foiling mixed Nacra 17 boat, had a 17th, 19th due to breaking the start of the second race, and 11th placing on day one to be 16th overall.

“The scorecard doesn’t really reflect how we feel about the day,’’ said northern beaches sailor Lisa Darmanin.

“These teams have been sailing together for years and we’ve done about three weeks, so we have some catching up to do, but we will get there.”

IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

Australians were on the move at the Olympic sailing Test event.

Australia’s Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and Perth single; e-handed ILCA-7 sailor Matt Wearn is the top-placed sailor at the Test event with a second place moving him into third overall on the points ladder with a 1-7-5- (10)-5- 2 scorecard.

The Sydney teaming of Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine are in fifth overall after their first day of racing in the 49erFX class after a second, 19th and 8th place.

Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event in Marseilles. Pictures: World Sailing.

“We’re getting closer to putting all the pieces of the puzzle together and excited to keep up the tight racing with the fleet,’’ said Price, a London Olympic match-racing silver medallist from Sydney’s inner west.

The next best Australians are the mixed 470 team of Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas.

The pair are in sixth place overall with 7- (16)-16-2-3-4 results.

In other results on day two Grae Morris is seventh (9-3- (24)-10) in the iQFOiL, Jim Colley and Shaun Connor are 11th (16-15-4) in the 49er skiffs, Breiana Whitehead is 12th (7-10-10- (16)-12-12-8 in the Formula Kite, Zoe Thomson is 17th (11-8-13- (39 DSQ)-39 BFD-10) in the ILCA 6 and Scott Whitehead is 17th (20)-10-12- (17)-16-15-16-16-15) in the Formula Kite

Australians are racing for places at the Paris Olympics at the Test event.

SYDNEY, BEIJING OLYMPIC MEDALLIST’S SURPRISE SAILING COMEBACK

EARLIER One of Australia’s top sailors of the past two decades is making a return to the cut and thrust of Olympic racing to answer an SOS ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.

Australian sailing team coach Darren Bundock, who won a silver in the Tornado class at the Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Olympics before the catamaran was dropped from the Games program, is back racing again.

The earlier-than-expected loss of Olympic medallist and new father Jason Waterhouse to an America’s Cup program recently left Rio and Tokyo Olympic sailing partner Lisa Darmanin high and dry just a year out from the Paris Olympics.

So their mixed Nacra 17 coach Bundock has stepped up and is now racing the foiling class to help qualify Australia a spot at the Olympic regatta in Marseilles next year.

Bundock is one of Australia’s most accomplished Olympic class sailors and coached Waterhouse and Darmanin at the Tokyo and Rio Olympics but will now partner with the later at the all-important Paris Olympic test event currently being held in France.

Berkley Vale sailor Darren Bundock is in France racing at the Olympic sailing Test event.

But Bundock said he searched for alternate options for Darmanin before stepping into the void as he didn’t want one of Australia’s best female sailors lost to the sport.

Bundock confirmed he spoke to a number of leading sailors, including Australian multiple Olympian and 2012 gold medallist Nathan Outteridge, also from the Central Coast, his old crewmate Glenn Ashby, a world class sailor from Bendigo, and former multiple 49er world champion Chris Nicholson, but all were unavailable to campaign.

Darren Bundock sailing with Nina Curtis back in 2015.

Outteridge, from Wangi Wangi and currently working with an America’s Cup team ahead of next years regatta in Barcelona, was top choice as he has sailed a Nacra 17 in the past.

“I'm a bit of a last resort,’’ said Bundock, who lives on the NSW Central Coast.

“Lisa has won an Olympic medal (silver at the Rio Olympics) and finished with bronze medals three times at the worlds.

“Lisa decided she would love to do a Paris campaign so that’s where were at.

“Our main concern is just qualifying the nation at the moment and we'll take things from there.’’

Lisa Darmanin with her cousin Jason Waterhouse.

Lisa Darmanin is one of Australia’s top sailors.

“She would have to be the finest and top ranked female sailor and we don’t want someone like her to walk away from the sport.’’

The pair will do the Test event and then the world championship in The Netherlands next month together before the situation is reaccessed

Despite being in his 50s Bundock is still active in high-level foiling racing, recently finishing fourth at the A-Class worlds.

More from AMANDA LULHAM HERE