ILCA 6 dinghy sailor Erika Reineke (USA) missed out on qualification for Tokyo 2020, which makes incomes a spot on the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games all of the sweeter for the American athlete.
“Being informed I used to be going to Paris, it was a very particular second,” Reineke smiles. The unique plan for the Paris cycle was within the 49erFX crewing on the entrance of the skiff along with her buddy Lucy Wilmot doing the steering. It was a superb expertise but it surely seemed unlikely that they might atone for the extra skilled groups with a few years of skiff crusing already beneath their belts.
“I discovered rather a lot from that boat after which we ended our marketing campaign collectively, and I type of simply thought why not soar again within the Radial [ILCA 6] and simply see what occurs? So I jumped again in and my first Worlds went effectively, and I fell again in love with the boat.”
With solely 4 weeks of observe after two years away from the boat, Reineke completed tenth on the 2022 Worlds in Texas. So her course was set, again on the mountain climbing program after two years of high-speed trapezing.
Crusing the skiff, the place each maneuver is extra expensive in contrast with the ILCA 6, has taught Reineke some precious classes. “I believe within the ILCA, as a result of you’ll be able to tack so typically, it’s very easy to get slightly too artful. While you’re crusing the 49er, tacking is rather like 10 occasions slower than an ILCA.
“I believe in sure circumstances within the ILCA, I used to be simply making an attempt to be slightly too artful and as a substitute of placing my head down and mountain climbing onerous to a aspect of the course, I’d tack as a substitute.”
When the lactic acid begins increase, tacking the boat can deliver a short lived aid from the fixed ache of mountain climbing, however now Reineke tries to dig in to at least one aspect of the course greater than she might need carried out prior to now.
Getting again right into a singlehander, Reineke admits to lacking among the crew dynamics of racing with a teammate.
“Yeah, I undoubtedly loved crusing with the crew. I believed it made crusing far more enjoyable and it was actually superior to see how one other individual noticed what profitable would possibly seem like. It was actually cool bouncing concepts off one another and I miss it slightly bit. Nevertheless, I do have my coach Eric [Bowers] and now we type of do the identical factor. So regardless that I’m within the boat on my own, he’s undoubtedly my teammate.”
Apart from her sojourn within the 49erFX, Reineke has additionally been busy competing as a part of the USA crew on SailGP and coaching with the America’s Cup Ladies’s squad, so she has lots to look ahead to in professional crusing after the Paris Video games are carried out. In the intervening time, nevertheless, it’s all about maximizing the prospect of profitable a medal for the US. The final American to win a medal within the class was Anna Tobias who took gold in Beijing in 2008.
“I’m undoubtedly planning on grabbing her (Anna), and Paige (Railey, who beat Reineke to Tokyo 2020 choice) despatched me a very nice observe after the trials, which is absolutely superior as a result of we spent so a few years crusing collectively.
“It was in all probability 12 years collectively, coaching collectively, so it was very nice of her to achieve out and congratulate me. Regardless that we have been rivals, you’re pushing one another as onerous as you’ll be able to and there’s an final degree of respect between us.”
As for the Video games, Reineke is evident in regards to the purpose. “Effectively it’s all the time about going out to win it, proper?”
Paris 2024 Olympic Crusing Program*:
Males’s One Individual Dinghy – ILCA 7
Ladies’s One Individual Dinghy – ILCA 6
Combined Two Individual Dinghy – 470
Males’s Skiff – 49er
Ladies’s Skiff – 49erFX
Males’s Kiteboard – Formulation Kite Class
Ladies’s Kiteboard – Formulation Kite Class
Males’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Ladies’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Combined Multihull – Nacra 17
Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9
Particulars:
• Paris web site: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/
• World Crusing microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/
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