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Women's Race 1
OVERALL STANDINGS
Women (after 2 events)
1st Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou/The Loft)
2nd Karin Jaggi (F2/Severne)
3rd Sarah Hebert (Starboard/Naish)
4th Alice Arutkin (Starboard/North Sails)
5th Ayako Suzuki (Starboard/Gaastra)
The standard of the women's fleet has risen dramatically and this event saw 16 competitors of the highest level. Even more impressive is the amount of youth in the fleet showing how promising the future looks for women's racing.
First round standout was Alice Arutkin (Starboard/North Sails). She blasted into 1st place ahead of World Champion Karin Jaggi (F2/Severne). At just 17 years old she is definitely a hot tip for the future. Unfortunately for her a timing mistake in the final meant she eventually finished 6th.
The women's finals
The losers final was won by fired up French woman Morane Demont (Starboard/Severne). Demont had an over-early in the first round, but made no mistakes in the losers' final. Celebrating her 16th birthday midweek, she is surely another high hope for the future. Cagla Kubat (Starboard/North Sails) looked very comfortable on the water and took 2nd. A winter in Maui, training with Jimmy Diaz, was clearly paying off. In 3rd position young Turkish hope Lena Erdil (Starboard/The Loft) was fuming. She had been leading an earlier heat when it was cancelled and in the re-run things did not go the same way. Sometimes racing can be very cruel.
The final was a more traditional affair with Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou/The Loft) and Karin Jaggi both fighting it out for the top spot. A minor starting error from Karin opened the door for Valerie and she made no mistake taking advantage dominating the race from start to finish. In 3rd place was a surprised Marta Hlavaty (Starboard/MauiSails). More at home on the Olympic RSX board, she used her light wind skills to work through the lulls and move into the final podium position.
FINAL EVENT RESULTS
Women:
1st Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou/The Loft)
2nd Karin Jaggi (F2/Severne)
3rd Marta Hlavaty (Starboard/MauiSails)
4th Sarah Hebert (Starboard/Naish)
5th Lise Vidal (Exocet/North Sails)
Tags: PWA, World, Tour, 2009, Women, Finals