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Global armada primed for yacht racing's greatest epic as Fastnet turns 100

Global armada primed for yacht racing's greatest epic as Fastnet turns 100

Straits Times3 days ago
PORTSMOUTH, England - The world's largest offshore yacht race turns 100 on Saturday, with a record-breaking fleet of more than 450 yachts from 26 countries lining up in Cowes on Britain's Isle of Wight for the Rolex Fastnet Race's centenary edition.
This milestone race offers a fascinating clash between sailing's fastest technology and amateur passion, with the fleet set to cover 695 nautical miles, rounding Fastnet Rock about 13 kilometres southwest of Cape Clear Island, off the southern coast of Ireland, and finishing in Cherbourg, France.
At the front, four giant 32-metre Ultim trimarans capable of 50 knots — more than 90 km/h -- will set the pace, led by last year's record-holder SVR-Lazartigue and an all-star crew of Frenchman Tom Laperche, Franck Cammas and New Zealander Peter Burling.
They face serious challenges from Actual Ultim 4, the in-form Maxi Banque Populaire XI, and Thomas Coville's Sodebo Ultim 3, all eager to better the benchmark time of 1 day, 8 hours, 38 minutes.
The IMOCA 60 class brings its own intrigue. Double Fastnet winner Charlie Dalin is absent, opening the door for rivals like Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkea. This year, all eight IMOCAs feature female crew, and three have female skippers - an important milestone for the class.
The MOCRA multihull division is also at full strength, with 20 entries and a highlight battle between the MOD70s Argo and Zoulou. But the real backbone of the Fastnet is the diverse IRC fleet, where 385 monohulls of every shape and vintage race together under a common International Rating Certificate (IRC) rating rule handicap.
IRC Four, the slowest class, has nearly 100 boats - including family crews like Richard and Sophie Palmer on Jangada, and Turkey's First 35 Express, racing to inspire at home.
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Last year's monohull line honours - awarded to the first monohull to finish, regardless of handicap - went to MACIF IMOCA, skippered by Dalin in two days, seven hours, 16 minutes and 26 seconds.
The Fastnet Challenge Cup, for the best corrected time under IRC, was claimed by Caro, a Botin 52 skippered by Max Klink.
Whether chasing records, redemption, or just the satisfaction of rounding Fastnet Rock, this centenary fleet is ready to add another chapter to the history of offshore racing when the cannon fires in Cowes. REUTERS
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All-conquering England women embracing their 'aura'
All-conquering England women embracing their 'aura'

Straits Times

time6 hours ago

  • Straits Times

All-conquering England women embracing their 'aura'

LONDON - England women's coach John Mitchell says his team will be driven by their own, internal standards rather than outside expectations as they enter their home Rugby World Cup on a remarkable run of form that has made them odds-on favourites. Since 2019 England have won an incredible 55 of their 56 games, but the one defeat still burns as it came in the last World Cup in 2022 when New Zealand snatched a late lineout, and with it victory, on home soil. Since then the Red Roses have had several wins over the Black Ferns, as well as routinely brushing aside all-comers in Europe, but anything but victory in the September 27 final at Twickenham will render their latest 25-game winning streak another footnote of frustration. Mitchell, the vastly-experienced New Zealander who took over in 2023, insists, however, that "external noise" will have no impact on the squad he named on Thursday. "In my time with the Red Roses we have set a standard and it's a standard they look to remain consistent with, something that they're attracted to," he told reporters at Twickenham. "We are looking at the ability to be successful with opportunity and stay away from the risk of failure and talking about those sorts of things. We're a different team from 2022 and now we've got an opportunity to earn the right and finish something that we started." Mitchell said the experience and positional cover in the squad is deeper than ever before, which is likely to be vital with the usual collection of injuries, concussions and suspensions a modern World Cup tends to throw up. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Asia Singapore urges all parties in Thailand-Cambodia border dispute to exercise restraint Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line Life Hulk Hogan, who helped turn pro wrestling into a billion-dollar spectacle, dies at 71 Singapore Avoid water activities around Tuas Second Link, Raffles Marina after chemical tank accident: NEA Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B "I think that depth is going to allow us to deal with the challenges but I think the stuff that drives us the most is our competition within," he said. "Some people tend to frame "pressure" as a negative word whereas I see this as an opportunity to be successful. "Some of the wins we've had in this cycle have been really tough as well, so there's enough belief and there's been enough feedback of where our game needs to improve. "Our focus is only on our first match against the U.S. and the girls are living those values. There's a nice look in their eyes at the moment as well." Zoe Aldcroft, appointed as captain this year, is desperate to put the ghosts of 2022 behind her having gone off injured 27 minutes into the final and has also embraced England's dominant position in the sport. "We have built this expectation around us and I think that's a massive privilege that we've worked hard to hold that aura around us," she said. "As we go into the tournament, we've got such a strong bubble that we kind of want to keep it in with us. "We know in our circle that we're doing our absolute best to try to push and as long as we've got each other's backs in that circle, I think that's going to be the most important thing." Another player ready to unleash herself in the tournament is back rower Abi Burton, a double Olympian in Sevens but whose career appeared over when she spent more than 10 weeks in hospital with an auto-immune disease in 2022, including 28 days in a coma, having initially been sectioned after being wrongly diagnosed as psychotic. "I knew in my heart that I would get here at some point, though I didn't know how long it would take me to be able to break in, especially after my illness," said Burton, who made her England XVs debut in this year's Six Nations and goes into the World Cup with two caps to her name. "Mum and dad are super proud but they don't base their pride on how I do at rugby. They're more proud that I finished university after my illness. They're just happy that I'm alive and I'm functioning well and I can live on my own." REUTERS

All-conquering England women embracing their 'aura'
All-conquering England women embracing their 'aura'

CNA

time6 hours ago

  • CNA

All-conquering England women embracing their 'aura'

LONDON :England women's coach John Mitchell says his team will be driven by their own, internal standards rather than outside expectations as they enter their home Rugby World Cup on a remarkable run of form that has made them odds-on favourites. Since 2019 England have won an incredible 55 of their 56 games, but the one defeat still burns as it came in the last World Cup in 2022 when New Zealand snatched a late lineout, and with it victory, on home soil. Since then the Red Roses have had several wins over the Black Ferns, as well as routinely brushing aside all-comers in Europe, but anything but victory in the September 27 final at Twickenham will render their latest 25-game winning streak another footnote of frustration. Mitchell, the vastly-experienced New Zealander who took over in 2023, insists, however, that "external noise" will have no impact on the squad he named on Thursday. "In my time with the Red Roses we have set a standard and it's a standard they look to remain consistent with, something that they're attracted to," he told reporters at Twickenham. "We are looking at the ability to be successful with opportunity and stay away from the risk of failure and talking about those sorts of things. We're a different team from 2022 and now we've got an opportunity to earn the right and finish something that we started." Mitchell said the experience and positional cover in the squad is deeper than ever before, which is likely to be vital with the usual collection of injuries, concussions and suspensions a modern World Cup tends to throw up. "I think that depth is going to allow us to deal with the challenges but I think the stuff that drives us the most is our competition within," he said. "Some people tend to frame "pressure" as a negative word whereas I see this as an opportunity to be successful. "Some of the wins we've had in this cycle have been really tough as well, so there's enough belief and there's been enough feedback of where our game needs to improve. "Our focus is only on our first match against the U.S. and the girls are living those values. There's a nice look in their eyes at the moment as well." Zoe Aldcroft, appointed as captain this year, is desperate to put the ghosts of 2022 behind her having gone off injured 27 minutes into the final and has also embraced England's dominant position in the sport. "We have built this expectation around us and I think that's a massive privilege that we've worked hard to hold that aura around us," she said. "As we go into the tournament, we've got such a strong bubble that we kind of want to keep it in with us. "We know in our circle that we're doing our absolute best to try to push and as long as we've got each other's backs in that circle, I think that's going to be the most important thing." Another player ready to unleash herself in the tournament is back rower Abi Burton, a double Olympian in Sevens but whose career appeared over when she spent more than 10 weeks in hospital with an auto-immune disease in 2022, including 28 days in a coma, having initially been sectioned after being wrongly diagnosed as psychotic. "I knew in my heart that I would get here at some point, though I didn't know how long it would take me to be able to break in, especially after my illness," said Burton, who made her England XVs debut in this year's Six Nations and goes into the World Cup with two caps to her name. "Mum and dad are super proud but they don't base their pride on how I do at rugby. They're more proud that I finished university after my illness. They're just happy that I'm alive and I'm functioning well and I can live on my own."

Top seeds Vitidsarn, An storm into China Open quarters
Top seeds Vitidsarn, An storm into China Open quarters

Straits Times

time13 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Top seeds Vitidsarn, An storm into China Open quarters

Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Badminton - Men's Singles Gold Medal Match - Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Paris, France - August 05, 2024. Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in action during the match against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo CHANGZHOU, China - Thai men's top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn swept aside Malaysian Leong Jun Hao with a 23-21 21-7 win to march into the quarter-finals of the China Open on Thursday, while women's top seed An Se-young beat Sim Yu-jin 21-13 21-15 in an all-South Korean clash. Danish men's second seed Anders Antonsen recovered from a set-game blip to progress to the quarters, beating Taiwan's Lin Chun-yi 21-19 20-22 22-20. He will next face Frenchman Toma Junior Popov, who knocked out Canadian Brian Yang 21-17 21-16. Chinese men's third seed Shi Yuqi beat Irishman Nhat Nguyen 21-15 21-8 to set up a clash with compatriot and fifth seed Li Shifeng, who defeated Hong Kong's Angus Ng Ka Long. Taiwanese sixth seed Chou Tien-chen also booked his place in the quarters after beating India's HS Prannoy. However, Indonesian fourth seed Jonatan Christie was stunned by Frenchman Christo Popov 21-12 13-21 21-16. Women's defending champion and Chinese second seed Wang Zhiyi crushed Japan's Riko Gunji 21-15 21-13. She will next take on Taiwan's Chiu Pin-Chian in the quarters. Japanese third seed Akane Yamaguchi, Chinese fourth seed Han Yue, Chinese fifth seed Chen Yufei and Indonesian eighth seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung also made it through to the quarters in the women's draw. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line Singapore Singapore says prolonged suffering of civilians in Gaza is 'unconscionable' Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B Yamaguchi next faces 17-year-old Unnati Hooda, who beat two-time Olympic medallist and fellow Indian PV Sindhu 21-16 19-21 21-13.s REUTERS

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