Kristine Mauritzen tops final four at Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta
by Women’s WMRT 1 Nov 07:24 PDT
28 October – 3 November 2024
2024 Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta day 3 © Ian Roman / WMRT
Danish sailor Kristine Mauritzen and her Team Seagulls turned the tables yesterday on Day 3 of the Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta by defeating the regatta leader, Julia Aartsen (NED), 3-2 in the best-of-five quarter-finals, thus securing their spot in the semi-finals.
The semi-final lineup also includes France’s Pauline Courtois / Match in Pink, Denmark’s Lea Vogelius / Team Kattnaken DK, and Sweden’s Anna Östling/Team WINGS.
Mauritzen and her crew ended the initial round robin stage in sixth place before facing stage leader Aartsen in today’s quarter-final. Mauritzen took an early advantage with two wins, but Aartsen fought back to equalize with two wins of her own. In the final race, Mauritzen clinched the decisive victory to move onto the semi-finals.
It was an especially remarkable day for Danish competitors, as Mauritzen’s fellow countrywoman, Lea Vogelius, also reached the semi-finals by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat New Zealand’s Megan Thomson 3-2 in a thrilling quarter-final.
“We adopted a more aggressive strategy in the pre-start, understanding we needed to win the last three races,” stated Vogelius, who successfully won her last three races to advance to the semi-finals.
Comebacks were abundant, as Sweden’s Anna Östling/Team WINGS managed to come back from near elimination to narrowly defeat Australia’s Juliet Costanzo/ Easy Tiger Racing 3-2 in their quarter-final match.
“We emphasized as a team that we just needed to win three races; it didn’t matter if we won the first three or the last three,” commented Östling on the intense racing.
Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink from France secured the final spot in the semi-finals with a convincing 3-0 win against Great Britain’s Sophie Otter, showcasing the advantage of her experience with both the boats and the Bermuda venue thus far.
With the final four now determined, the competition transitions to the semi-finals today, as each team vies for the title at the new 2024 Aspen Women’s Match Race Regatta. Being the concluding event of the 2024 Women’s World Match Racing Tour, the regatta has attracted elite female sailors from around the globe, solidifying Bermuda’s reputation as a premier destination for competitive sailing events.
More information at womenswmrt.com
