Four New Zealand crews are pushing hard for medal series spots at the Olympic Classes Regatta in San Pedro, with the final day of qualifying set to decide who makes the cut.
Leading the charge are Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, who climbed back inside the top 10 in the 49er after an impressive Day 3 in light, tactical conditions. The pair delivered New Zealand's first race win of the regatta, then added fifth and 10th-place finishes to move into sixth overall. Just 10 points separate them from third place, leaving plenty to play for before the fleets are split for Saturday's medal races.
More Kiwi pressure is coming from just outside the top 10. Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush continued their steady climb with two top-10 finishes from three races and now sit 11th, only three points shy of a medal series berth. Three places further back, Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren are 14th and five points outside the top 10. A third-place finish in the day's second race showed what the young crew are capable of.
In the Nacra 17, Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart are holding firm inside the top 10 after another consistent day. Scores of sixth, 11th and 11th keep them on course for the finals heading into the final day of qualifying.
Germany's Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger held onto the overall lead in the 49er despite relentless pressure from the chasing pack. Uruguay's Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz climbed into second overall, with France's Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin third. The 49er has produced some of the closest racing of the regatta, and the leaderboard remains congested. France's Tim Mourniac and Aloïse Retornaz continued to lead the Nacra 17 standings.
In the 49erFX, Great Britain's Freya Black and Saskia Tidey completed a patient climb to the top of the leaderboard after taking control on Day 3. They recovered from a difficult second race, in which they were forced to avoid a collision, by winning the final race of the day to move into first overall.
