At the Olympic premiere of the men's iQFoil fleet, only one slalom could be completed over two days. The second race had to be cancelled due to fading winds. Sebastian Kördel was not too sad about this, as he had made the "stupid mistake" of jibing around the reach buoy in light winds. "That's never worked before and didn't work well there either," he said with a smile.
When asked about his mood at the Olympics and whether he had already experienced any personal Olympic moments, the 31-year-old top athlete from the North German Regatta Club talked about two remarkable experiences for him: "On Sunday, I sailed out at the same time as the Frenchman Goyard. There were cheers and chants from more than ten thousand people on the beach - for him, of course. For a moment, you imagine that the cheers are also for you. A great moment!"
Luck in misfortune for Sebastian Kördel
After the total cancellation of the windsurfing opener on Sunday, Kördel had a second lucky moment on Monday. "My harness broke before the race today. It was lucky that we were able to replace it before the start." After a few days with a cold, Kördel said that he still "lacked a bit of juice in his muscles" on Monday. However, he feels he is on the right track. The only Olympic iQFoil race so far was won by France's co-favourite Nicolas Goyard ahead of the reigning Italian world champion Nicolo Renna, to the delight of the 12,500 paying spectators and countless other fans on the beach and in Club 2024.
I always think: if the first day goes well, then the week will be good too." Theresa Steinlein
Sebastian Kördel's team and club mate Theresa Steinlein made a determined start to her and the iQFOiL women's Olympic premiere on Monday. With places 3 and 11, the windsurfer from Wörthsee placed fifth, putting her right up there with the world's best. Her report from the course after hours of postponed starts and hot races: "You mustn't forget: It was a mega tough day because we had to wait so long. It's hard to stay motivated. We did two slalom races today, which went really well for me. That was super important for me. I always think: if the first day goes well, then the week will go well too."
Five races for the men's and women's windsurfing fleets are scheduled for day three of the Olympic regatta on Tuesday. The skiff fields are challenged in three races each. Click here for the ARD live stream with Peter Carstens and Susann Beucke on 30 July.
