Good Sign for Alain ahead of Rio mission

ALAIN SIGN earned himself a silver medal at the Sailing World Cup in Weymouth and he believes a tricky week of racing will stand him in great stead for the upcoming Olympic Games.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jun 2016, 19:35 BST
Updated 13th Jun 2016, 20:37 BST

Following a week of light winds causing a heavily reduced race schedule, Sunday finally saw stiffer breezes at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy and Sign took full advantage in the 49er class.

Alongside partner Dylan Fletcher, the Lee-on-the-Solent sailor had been third in the standings heading into the medal race, worth double points, and a strong display to finish second saw him win silver in the final reckoning – only behind New Zealand pair Logan Dunning Beck and Jack Simpson.

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The World Cup was the final major competition before the Rio 2016 Olympics, which are now a little over 50 days away, and Sign is beginning to feel ready for the big event.

He said: ‘It has been a really good week for practising for Rio in terms of light winds, lots of delays and waiting around and then putting lots of races in one day.

‘It has been difficult conditions and we’ve definitely been working on some things.

‘It was a pretty hard week considering we were doing so well at the start but had a tricky day on Saturday and learned a lot from that.

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‘I think it was good for us to come out after a hard day and emerge with a silver medal.

‘We were a little disappointed not to get gold.

‘But we worked hard and came out fighting so that is pleasing.’

Sign and Fletcher will make their Olympic debuts in Rio and recent performances suggest they will be right in the medal hunt.

Following their World Cup exploits they will now have a small amount of time in the UK but will soon be back to Brazil for the final stretch before the Games.

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This will be ideal preparation for them as they bid to make sure they are comfortable with the conditions ahead of what promises to be an exciting summer ahead.

‘We’ve kind of got a week off where we’ll have a bit of planning and a bit of organising bags and stuff to take out to Rio,’ added Sign.

‘Then we head out on June 20 for a 10-day camp with our training partners James and Fynn where we intend to get used to our kit, get used to our venue and get back into the swing of things out there.’

The Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland was held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy from 6-12 June. The National Lottery-funded British Sailing Team is proudly supported by official partners Volvo Car UK, Zhik and Peters & May.

Follow the team’s latest news and updates at britishsailingteam.com or on Twitter @BritishSailing

Related topics:Weymouth