German Sailor Heiko Kröger Continues Series of Wins at World Championships
At the World Disabled Sailing Championships in St. Petersburg, USA, Heiko Kröger from Germany confirmed his dominance in the single-handed 2.4 mR class. He posted one more impressive win to remain undefeated through the nine-race series. As in each race before, Kröger was out in front alone at the finish, trailed by a pack of four to six contenders battling for position in the overall standings. Kröger is the only disabled sailor who was nominated for the 2001 ISAF World Sailor of the year awards in November. Despite his left arm amputation and classification as a disabled sailor, Heiko manages to win both open and disabled events. A gold medal in the 2.4mR class at the 2000 Paralympic Regatta, followed by winning the 2001 2.4mR World Championships, an open event with 89 entries, 28 of whom were disabled, have been his most recent successes.
Thomas Brown of Northeast Harbor, USA, finished second, but was disqualified for having crossed the starting line a second or two early. The tactical error made no difference in the final standings as Brown had a lock on second place in the world championship regatta. The third place championship trophy was up for grabs with three skippers within striking range as the final race began but Bjornar Erikstad of Norway protected his position in the overall standings with a mid-fleet finish and beat countryman Jostein Stordahl by two points for the third-place trophy.
On the Sonar course, Canadian skipper Brian Mackie, with crew Brian MacDonald and Paul Tingley, elected to sit out the final day with an unbeatable lead after eight races. With the exception of one “over early” start when they were disqualified, Mackie's team won six times and finished second once. “Overall, we made less mistakes than anyone out there,” Mackie said. The windy conditions favored Mackie's crew, which he believed was the heaviest team on the water. “We sailed faster and higher upwind, and faster and lower downwind,” Mackie added. Olympian Andy Cassell of England, who won the Paralympic gold in Atlanta in 1996, finished second to protect a narrow lead over Germany's Jens Kroker for runner-up honors. Cassell's crew included Brian Harding and Edward Suckling.
Linda Merkle was one of dozens of volunteers working at the regatta. As a technical advisor from the International Foundation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS), she said: “The conditions (on Tampa Bay) were tougher than Sydney. The first race was right at the edge of the top limits (for wind and sea conditions) but each race it got better.” Citing the rapid escalation of the level of the competition, event chairman Serge Jorgensen said, “A few years ago at Lake Lanier in Georgia, USA, they would not have gone out in these conditions. They all overcame it.” IFDS chairman Ian Harrison praised the land-based and on-the-water organization provided by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, and he cited the unique support from the city of St. Petersburg which included major dock renovations at the city-owned sailing center, renovations in part funded from handicap parking zone fines. “Thanks to all the people who parked in the disabled parking spots,” Harrison said.
Final Results
Sonar Class
1. Brian Mackie (Canada)
2. Andy Cassell (Great Britain)
3. Jens Kroker (Germany)
4. Ken Kelly (Canada)
5. John Twomey (Ireland)
2.4mR Class
1. Heiko Kröger (Germany)
2. Thomas Brown (USA)
3. Bjornar Erikstad (Norway)
4. Jostein Stordahl (Norway)
5. Ruud van Holsteyn (Netherlands)
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