Sailing star Marit Bouwmeester has recovered on Saturday (Dutch time) on the fourth day of the World Sailing Championships in Kemah, USA, in the Olympic Ilca 6 class, the successor of the Laser Radial. The Frisian climbed to fourth place in the standings.
By our sports editorsThe 34-year-old Bouwmeester started the fourth World Cup day in Galveston Bay dramatically with 33rd place in the fifth race. That result will be canceled for the time being because it is Bouwmeester’s worst score at the World Cup for the time being. Sailors may always cross off their worst race score.
Bouwmeester then showed recovery with eighteenth place in the sixth race and second place in the seventh race. As a result, the Frisian, who lost the lead in the standings on Friday and started the fourth World Cup day as number five, has forty points in the ranking.
That is six more than the Belgian frontrunner Emma Plasschaert. Plasschaert finished sixth twice on Saturday and 22nd once. The Danish Anne-Marie Rindom is second with 37 points and Wiktoria Golebiowska from Poland is third with 38 points.
Bouwmeester is making her comeback at the World Cup after a pregnancy. The three-time Olympic medalist in the Laser Radial class (silver in 2012, gold in 2016, bronze last year) gave birth to daughter Jessie Mae five months ago. Soon after giving birth, she picked up the training. She is targeting the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Other Dutch people play a supporting role
Maxime Jonker and Mirthe Akkerman, the other Dutchmen who participate in the Ilca 6 class, cannot play a significant role. Despite the third place in the sixth race, Jonker has dropped to fourteenth place in the standings. Akkerman is fifteenth.
The World Cup lasts until Sunday. In the night from Saturday to Sunday (Dutch time) there are again three races on the program.
