AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S MATCH RACING TEAM ANNOUNCED

Yachting Australia has announced the Australian Women’s Match Racing Team (AWMRT) to train and compete towards the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Team of six athletes, including two skippers, has been confirmed as:
• Nina Curtis
• Jessica Eastwell
• Angela Farrell
• Katie Pellew (nee Spithill) - Skipper
• Olivia Price
• Nicky Souter - Skipper

The AWMRT will now represent Australia at forthcoming ISAF Sailing World Cup rounds at Medemblik in the Netherlands, Kiel in Germany and Weymouth in England. Dayne Sharp will continue as the Australian Women’s Match Racing Team coach.

All members of the AWMRT will also be offered scholarships for the Australian Institute of Sport Sailing program, joining the members of the Australian Sailing Team in this elite program.

Yachting Australia’s High Performance Director Peter Conde said the selection process to select the six from the original ten athletes had been difficult but exhaustive.

“It’s always a difficult process to select final team members from large squads, however we have a rigorous process of performance monitoring, consultation and input from the squad members themselves which we use for selection,” said Conde.

“All ten original squad members showed particularly high levels of ability but we feel we now have the best of the best to move forward with towards our goal of a Women’s Match Racing gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2012.”

The Team includes world class talent. Nicky Souter is the current Women’s Match Racing World Champion; Katie Pellew (nee Spithill) led a crew which included Nina Curtis to a fourth overall finish at the recent Semaine Olympique Francois De Voile in Hyeres; and Angela Farrell was part of Australia’s Yngling team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Nicky Souter said she was thrilled to be selected for the final squad.

“Obviously it’s very exciting to be named in the final six, especially as all of the girls have been performing at a high standard,” said Souter.

“Now everything will ramp up another level – we’re off to Europe for three weeks’ solid training and competition so the rest of the year will be really busy.

“But that’s exciting too because it’s taking us one step closer to the bigger goal of getting to the Olympic Games and now we need to focus and do the best we can.”

Angela Farrell said she was appreciative of the second chance to tilt at an Olympic medal. Having competed in the Yngling class at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Farrell understands the pressures of an Olympic campaign but also values the position she is in.

“There are a lot of things you wish you could do differently in your campaigns, so I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to do things right this time around to give me the best chance to win an Olympic Medal,” said Farrell.

“I’m really pleased to be part of such a great group of talented match racers so we can all learn from each other as well.”

The AWMRT will next compete at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, The Netherlands starting 26 May 2010.

http://www.australiansailingteam.com.au/?Page=47464