LAST UPDATE | 25 Jul 2021
THE STILL CONDITIONS at Enoshima led to a slow start for Ireland’s Annalise Murphy in the first women’s Laser Radial race of the 2020 Olympics.
Murphy finished in 35th place in the first of 10 races, with Spaniard Cristina Pujol Bajo first, ahead of Vasileia Karachaliou of Greece in second.
The second race, initially scheduled for this morning, was delayed given the lack of wind on the course.
No wind in Enoshima so racing is postponed - hard to know when it’ll start up again looking at the conditions - if you are a superstitious type, going into your garden and doing a wind dance of some sort could be helpful - more wind = better sailing
— Annalise Murphy (@Annalise_Murphy) July 25, 2021
It did start around 7am Irish time, with Murphy improving to finish 12th. It was a decidedly unpredictable day: the Spanish winner of the first race ended up in 23rd place in the second race.
The Laser Radial competition consists of 10 races, with points awarded based on finishing position. The top 10 at the end of the 10 races – those with the lowest points totals – qualify for the medal race.
The third race is scheduled for tomorrow morning, at 06.35 Irish time.
“I’m relieved to get the first day out of the way, disappointed it didn’t go as I wanted it to,” Murphy said.
“I did exactly what I didn’t want to in the first race, had a bad race, went the wrong way, didn’t stick with my plan, got caught up in a bit of an incident with another boat. I dealt badly with that by freaking out and doing the wrong thing.
“I had a slightly better second race, I was gaining around the race course rather than trying to do damage control which was good.
“I’m glad the first day is done and I’m looking forward to moving up from here – no more mistakes.”
Updated at 07.58 with details of second race
