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Singapore Qualifies for 2008 Olympics in the Laser Radial Event |
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The Laser Radial sailors return to Singapore on Friday, 21 March.
Singapore sailor Elizabeth YIN Yue Ling (殷悦灵), has qualified Singapore for the 2008 Olympic Games in the Laser Radial event at the second and final Olympic qualifier, the Laser Radial Women’s World Championships in Takapuna, New Zealand. There are 26 berths available in the women’s single-handed Laser Radial event with 19 allocated last July in the first qualification and one automatically allocated to host nation, China. 116 sailors from 40 nations were represented at the championships, with 23 nations vying for the last six Olympic berths. The other two sailors representing Singapore, 20 year old Lo Man Yi (卢 曼 仪) finished a credible 35th position in the Gold fleet and Victoria Chan (陈 菁 华), 17, finished 7th in the Silver fleet. The other team members supporting the sailors are: Dr Peter Logan (Team Manager & Olympic Squad High Performance Manager) Brett Beyer (Olympic Laser Coach), Kelvin Wong (Physiotherapist) and Mark Pryke (Rules Advisor). An elated Dr Peter Logan said from Takapuna, “The wonderful camaraderie and support in the team definitely helped the girls come through with their excellent performance. “Elizabeth, the youngest member of the team, performed beyond expectations, her good showing is testament to the depth and strength of SingaporeSailing’s sailors and programmes. Man Yi and Victoria’s results have improved vastly too, superior to their performances at the ISAF Worlds last July. “Brett (Olympic Laser Coach) is extremely happy, particularly with how Elizabeth responded to the pressure. She sailed her own race and was never threatened by the more experienced sailors in the fleet.” The 2008 Laser Radial Women’s World Championships is also a selection event for Singapore team for the 2008 ISAF Youth World Championships in July. Performance in the selection events will form the basis, but not the only basis, for nomination and selection. The final decision will be announced after the selection panel has convened. Selection events for Olympic-bound sailors Singapore has already earned a spot in the 470 men and Laser standard events. Xu Yuan Zhen/Terence Koh and Roy Tay/Chung Pei Ming both qualified the country in the 470 men’s event at the 2007 ISAF World Sailing Championships in Cascais. Koh Seng Leong qualified the Republic in the Laser event at the Laser World Championships last month. The selection trials for the sailors presenting Singapore in the 2008 Olympics will take place from April to June. They are: Double-handed male (470) Single-handed male (Laser) Olympic Qualification: Countries Qualified A total of 26 berths are available for the Laser Radial Event for 2008 Olympics. Twenty countries qualified at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships are: Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and USA. Countries qualified at 2008 Laser Radial Women’s World Championships are: Sweden, Singapore, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Ireland. And as host nation, China automatically qualifies for a berth.
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