The 2016 Paralympic Games gets underway in Rio this Thursday with our Australian sailors in action early next week.
With a full Australian Sailing Team line-up, our Paralympians will be represented in all three classes with the SKUD18 team, Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch, defending their 2012 London Gold Medal.
Paralympic Sailing starts on Tuesday 13 September from 2am (AEST) with Medal Races scheduled for Sunday 18 September from 1am (AEST).sailing schedule. In total, each class will sail 11 races.
Since London, Fitzgibbon and Tesch have been working hard and producing great results, giving them confidence heading into the Paralympic Games.
Tasmanian 2.4mR sailor Matt Bugg, is confident of a place on the podium after winning gold at the Sailing World Cup Hyeres in April this year, proving his ability to win in challenging conditions.
Bugg is currently ranks fourth SB20 sailor in the world and has been in Rio for the past ten days training for the Games, sailing the course on which he has raced competitively and trained twice in the past two years.
In an interview with ‘The Mercury’ this week predicted that there were five or six sailors with the skills to win, adding that “it will come down to whoever does their best racing without too many mistakes…I am confident I have the skills to win.”
In the Sonar class, Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden will be aiming to snare a spot on the podium after finishing fourth at the London Paralympics.
