False start leaves Ainslie’s hopes washed up
BRITAIN’S two young aspiring match racers had contrasting fortunes at the Toscana Elba Cup yesterday. Ben Ainslie was knocked out in the first-round repechage having won four matches, while Iain Percy went through in the other half of the draw with only three victories.
Ainslie, sailing with four crew from Emirates Team New Zealand, including Andy Hemmings, of Britain, started in impressive form, beating Francesco de Angelis, of Team Luna Rossa, and Hamish Pepper, of Team Capitalia, to give the triple Olympic medal-winner four wins in six starts.
However, Ainslie, having tied with James Spithill, Ed Baird and Magnus Holmberg, was forced into the repechage and found himself in a sail-off against Team Shosholoza, from South Africa. What could have been an easy win went awry at the start, when Ainslie and his crew misjudged their approach to the line and were at least two seconds early. By the time they had spun their boat and recrossed the line, the South African boat was away to a five-length lead. It proved a deficit they could not make up.
False start leaves Ainslie’s hopes washed up
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