Paris 2024 Olympics: Grae Morris medal fight on hold, Matt Wearn leads in Games defence

Grae Morris’ medal fight on hold, Aussie favourite Matt Wearn hit the lead, a new crew hits the water and shaking hands from one debutant on a dramatic day at the sailing

Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas are racing the 470 mixed dinghy in Marseille. Pictiure: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Light winds and an impending storm have sent Australian Grae Morris home without a medal for 24 hours at least with the foiling windsurfing finale delayed for a day,

Morris knows he has a medal in the bag but which colour will depend on where he finishes in the windsurfing shootout now scheduled for Saturday in Marseille.

The call was made as ultralight winds interfered with the Olympic schedule once again with Morris left to contemplate life – and being an Olympic medallist in the not too distant future – from a competitors tent on a beach in the Bay of Marseille.

A wild storm was also predicted to slam the sailing venue with officials keen to lock down the site in preparation.

Australia's Matt Wearn won race three.

OLYMPIC CHAMP HITS LEAD

Australian gold medal favourite Matt Wearn’s goal for the Paris Games is to enjoy it more and make life as easy and as uncomplicated as he can enroute to defending his Olympic crown.

And that’s exactly what the inform ILCA 7 sailor is doing in Marseille where he took the overall lead on just the second day of his regatta.

It’s a stark contrast to his lowly position in Tokyo three years ago which piled enormous pressure on the Perth sailor to stage a mighty comeback which eventually reaped him gold.

“There’s no reason to try and make it so difficult for myself this time,’’ Wearn laughed in the leadup to the Olympics.

Wearn, who since Tokyo has married, overcome long Covid and won two world crowns, raced to his first win on day two of the ILCA racing along with a 18th which he is able to drop.

Fellow ILCA 6 sailor Zoe Thomson had a less memorable day with her 27th in race two of the ILCA6 racing.

Nia Jerwood (unseen) and Nicholas Conor are representing Australia in the mixed 470. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

NEW AUSSIE TEAM HITS WATER

On Thursday in Marseille another Australian crew hit the water for the first time.

Nia Jerwood, who competed in the women’s 470 in Tokyo, is now racing the mixed 470 with old mate Conor Nicolas in Marseille.

The pair came out firing for a sixth in their first race at the Olympics in light winds but broke the start and were disqualified from the second.

Despite the result the pair were happy to have the opening day under their belt, admitting to some Olympic-sized nerves

“It’s better to have a good one a bit of a whoopsy rather than two shockers,’’ said an upbeat Nicholas. “I think everyone now knows we are up for the fight.

“I was pretty calm for a while and then at one point Nia had to hold my hand and stop it shaking while I was I was trying to trim the kite sheet. That was a good bonding moment for us,’’.

Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine in their 49erFX.

BIRTHDAY GIRL WRAPS UP OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN

Olivia Price, who celebrated her 32nd birthday on Friday, and crewmate Evie Haseldine sailed their last race at the Olympics in the delayed medal race for the 49erFX.

The pair placed ninth to finish ninth overall in Marseille.

Price, who won a silver in match-racing at the London Games in 2012, returned to the Olympic fray to race with Haseldine, a young gun she has known her entire life.

The pair’s fathers also sailed together for years.

It was an up and down regatta for the pair who will go home with a creditable top 10 finish but not the medal they were aiming for.

STORM THREAT AT OLYMPICS

Officials worked overtime to ensure as much of the scheduled sailing went ahead with a big storm forecast to hit Marseille in the early evening.

Unlike the rain, hail and lightning storm which smashed Paris last night, this weather system was expected to bring up to 50 knot gusts (more than 90kmh) of wind and will beef-up the Mistral wind forecast for the Olympic racetrack on Saturday.

In the face of bad weather, officials need at least an hour to secure the Olympic sailing site which is largely made up of tents along with barricades weighted down by sandbags.

There are also hundreds of Olympic boats and coach boats that need to be secured to save them from damage in a wild storm.

Originally published as Paris 2024 Olympics: Grae Morris medal fight on hold, Matt Wearn leads in Games defence