Tom Burton claims silver in Tokyo sailing event

Australian sailor Tom Burton claimed silver in the Laser at the Ready Steady Tokyo Test event in Japan. With no breeze on the final day, the final day’s medal races were cancelled and the outcomes thus pre-determined.

Burton, the reigning Laser World Champion, was second in the standings before what would have been an all-important double points medal race. It was the weather that prevented him the chance of going for gold.

For Burton and all the rest of the sailing team, the hot conditions were very much part of the challenge, a reminder of the sheer physicality of this sport.

“The days were long, and brutal, especially at the start of the regatta,” he said.

“We are getting more and more used to the vagaries of the conditions, and it is all in the memory bank for the future.”

With further Olympic selection races scheduled and the World Cup about to commence in Enoshima, the moment of truth will inevitably arrive for the final selection in which only one of two of the superb Laser sailors will be selected.

For the whole Australian sailing team including the coaches, it is now time for a bit of well-earned rest, Japanese-style.

With an eye for the horizon, Australian Sailing President Matt Allen is already planning for the success of the team in the Paris Olympics of 2024. And for the hard-working High Performance Director Iain Murray, it will be a rare chance to just not think about pretty much everything, but especially the weather.

Racing in the Olympic classes will continue from Enoshima with the World Cup Series event that commences on August 25 and runs until September 1, 2019. This forms another significant step in the road to Tokyo 2020 for Australia’s Olympians.