Irish remain bottom of Star fleet

Ireland's Star class competitors, Mark Mansfield and Killian Collins endured another poor day on the Saronic gulf, as in shifting wind conditions, they pulled their keelboat to 17th and ninth in races 7 and 8, remaining last overall of a fleet of seventeen.

Having got to the first marking in race 7, just 26 seconds behind leaders Italy, the Irish pairing, both 6' 5", lost their battle with a contrasting light wind to slip back down the field to last, finishing in a time of 1:15.41.

They did show a marked improvement in the next one, rising from 15th initially to ninth - choosing the right side of the course and crossing the line, two minutes and 23 seconds behind Greek winners Leonidas Pelekanakis and Georgios Kontogouris.

Mansfield and Collins' ninth place was their best rank of the week so far.

The Royal Cork duo are on a net total of 87 points, sixty-seven behind 1996 champions Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira of Brazil. Canadians Ross MacDonald and Mike Woilfs are in the silver medal position.

Skipper Grael summed up the day, when admitting: "“It was a very difficult day with this light sea breeze which turned to leftwind. It wasn’t easy to choose which side to go.”

With three races remaining, Mansfield's chances of equalling or bettering his best Games finish of twelfth in Atlanta, look out of reach.

Results:

Sailing, Star class: Race 7 of 11:

(1) USA (Paul Cayard, Phil Trinter) 1:13.11, (2) Brazil (Torben Grael, Marcelo Ferreira) +0.05, (3) Italy (Francesco Bruni, Guido Vigna +0.19; (17) Ireland (Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins) +2:30

Race 8 of 11:

(1) Greece (Leonidas Pelekanakis, Georgios Konotgouris) 1:20.42, (2) Sweden (Frederik Loof, Anders Ekstrom) +0.39, (3) Denmark (Hans Spitzauer, Andreas Hanakamp) +1:22' (9) Ireland (Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins) +2:23

Overall:

(1) Brazil 20 net points, (2) Canada 39.2, (3) USA 42; (17) Ireland 87