Denmark confirmed 49er title after Jury hearing
18/8/2008 18:06
Denmark was confirmed winner of 49er gold position when the official
results were released after 19 hours of waiting on a protest decision affecting
yesterday's medal race.
Jonas Warrer and Martin Ibsen of Denmark won the gold
medal with 61 points. 2004 Athens 49er medalists Iker Martinez and Xabier
Fernandez of Spain took the silver with 64 points while German brothers
Jan-Peter Peckolt and Hannes Peckolt claimed bronze with 66 points.
The
Danish team were protested by the Race Committee for sailing the medal race in a
boat borrowed from the Croat crew, who were not competing in the medal race,
after the mast on the Danish 49er snapped shortly before the start, according to
the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
After a Jury hearing that ran
late till 00:50 today and then continued this morning, John Doerr, chair of the
Jury panel that heard the hearing, confirmed shortly before midday today, that
the protest had been dismissed and the provisional results were made
official.
The full decision and a statement from the Jury will be published
after today's medal races, according to ISAF.
Earlier yesterday, an
enthralling medal race provided a dramatic finish at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing
Center with a big swell and stormy conditions with gusts up of 20 knots and
more. The Austrians led for much of the race, with the Italians in second and
the Australians third.
This put the Australians and Italians in a battle for
gold and when the Austrians crashed up, the Australians took the lead and the
Italians capsized, it looked like gold would go to the Australians. However they
capsized close to the finish on the final run, the Spanish kept their boat
upright and crossed the line in first.
Due to the official race results being
delayed, the medal ceremony for the 49er competition will take place late
today.
Xinhua
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