World Cup Amsterdam

Coming off my win at the Dutch Foiling Championships, I was excited to race again at the Hempel World Cup Amsterdam. Even though the fleet was small, it was comprised of some of the best in the world.

The event consisted of 5 days of racing, which really turned out to only be 3 days of racing due to there not being any wind on days 3 and 5. The first two days of racing went well for me, despite me falling in 5 of the 9 races completed. My speed was right there with the top guys, I was just making silly errors which cost me. At this point in my 6 week Europe trip, physical fatigue was definitely setting in, which tells me I need to hit the gym harder at home.

This event was special for me as it was the first time I got to participate in finals series races on the IQ. To give a brief explanation, the sailors ranked 4-10 going into the final day compete in a quarter final where the top two boards advance, and meet the sailors ranked 2nd and 3rd going into the final day in the semi final. The top two boards from the semi final go to the final, where they race the board ranked first going into the final day. From here, this 3 board final is winner takes all, meaning whoever wins the final wins the event as a whole.

I was in an excellent spot to make gains, as I was sitting in 5th position going into the finals. We began the quarter final in 5-6 knots, and I led for a large portion of the race, but eventually the wind dropped to the point where the race was cancelled. From here, the wind never returned, therefore no finals races completed. This meant we finished the event in the positions we were already in, meaning I finished in 5th.

This event showed me that I have the speed, I just need to dial in some other skills and I will be at the top. Almost more importantly, this event introduced me to so many amazing people, and gave me so many amazing memories that I am extremely grateful for.

Now it is time to rest at home before heading to the west coast United States for the next training block.

All the best

Noah Lyons

USA 6