Competition is heating up at the Mussanah Open Championship where, at the midway point of the event, all classes remain incredibly close. Conditions were perfect once again, with winds up to 15 knots and clear blue skies ensuring racing went down to the wire with no interruptions.
The 49er class is wide open, with yet another new leader on top of the rankings at the close of Day Three. Indian duo KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar ended the day in first place from Benjamin Talbot and Alex Burger of South Africa and the Chinese pairing of Hong Wei and Chao Xiang.
KC Ganapathy, leader of the 49er class representing India, said, “We started off the event a bit shaky, we hadn’t raced for a year and a half coming into this, but my coach and I have been working each day to correct the previous day’s mistakes. So, overall, we are happy with how the event is progressing and we want to stay focused and keep improving each day.”
The top two in the 49er FX class switched places from yesterday with the team of Molly Highfield and Sandy Wing Chi Choi from Hong Kong taking over at the top from China’s Ye Jin and Chen Shasha. Thai pair of Kamonchanok Klahan and Nichapa Waiwai stay in third place.
After a full day of racing, the Laser class and Laser Radial class rankings remain unchanged from yesterday. In the Laser, Singapore’s Ryan Lo Jun Han leads Keerati Bualong of Thailand and India’s Vishnu Saravanan and in the Laser Radial, Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan leads Dutch sailor Emma Savelon with Indian teammate Ramya Saravanan in third.
In the RS:X class, Thai windsurfer Natthapong Phonoppharat continues out in front in the men’s race with Filipino duo Yancy Kaibigan and Geylord Coveta following closely behind in second and third respectively. In the female class, Charizanne Napa from the Philippines still holds a narrow from Singapore’s Amanda Ng Ling Kai and India’s Ishwariya Ganesh.
Yancy Kaibigan, RS:X windsurfer representing the Philippines, said, “The weather was good today, with a strong wind for the first two races but it suddenly dropped in the third race which made the conditions challenging, but I managed three second placed finishes today. We had to prepare at home for this event because of the cancellation of scheduled events, so I am pleased with my performance. I hope for good wind tomorrow and to continue performing well.”
With Olympic qualification up for grabs, the Mussanah Open Championship is being held under strict regulations to ensure all equipment adheres to World Sailing specifications and the rules of each class. Prior to the event, all the boats and equipment were inspected and recorded by an International Measurer appointed by World Sailing to make sure sailors do not change the equipment and continue to use the approved equipment.
Ajit Diaz, Chief of the Technical Committee, said, “It is important to ensure that all the classes of boats are complying with the class rules. We must also check for the mandatory safety equipment and be sure that all competitors use legal equipment for every day of the championship. The integrity of the competition is of utmost importance.”
Racing in Mussanah continues tomorrow with three full days remaining. The Mussanah Open Championship is supported by host venue Millennium Resort Mussanah with addition sponsorship from the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO), Salsabeel water from National mineral water company, Carrefour Oman and OHI Telecommunications.
Overall Standings
49er Class
| Rank | SailNo | HelmName | CrewName | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Total | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | IND 316 | Ganapathy Kelapanda Chengappa | Varun Ashok Thakkar | 5.0 | (10.0) | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 36.0 | 26.0 |
| 2nd | RSA 470 | Benjamin Talbot Daniel | Alex Burger | (7.0) | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 42.0 | 35.0 |
| 3rd | CHN 251 | Hong Wei | Chao Xiang | 1.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | (12.0) | 8.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 48.0 | 36.0 |
| 4th | THA 279 | Don Whitcraft | Dylan Whitcraft | 9.0 | 5.0 | (10.0) | 2.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 51.0 | 41.0 |
| 5th | HKG 880 | Akira Sakai | Russel Williams Aylsworth | 10.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 1.0 | (15.0 UFD) | 2.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 58.0 | 43.0 |
| 6th | OMA 145 | Musab Al Hadi | Waleed Issa AlKindi | 11.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | (13.0) | 5.0 | 56.0 | 43.0 |
| 7th | KOR200 | Bong Jin Chae | Shin Sangoin | 8.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | (15.0 DNF) | 4.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 60.0 | 45.0 |
| 8th | CHN616 | Wang Xin | Zhou Zhibo | 3.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | (15.0 UFD) | 8.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 73.0 | 58.0 |
| 9th | IND 301 | Prince Kurisinkal Noble | Manu Francis | 2.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 3.0 | (15.0 DNF) | 10.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 73.0 | 58.0 |
| 10th | KOR411 | Won Jae Lee | Lee Dong Gyu | 6.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | (11.0) | 9.0 | 11.0 | 75.0 | 64.0 |
| 11th | CHN555 | Zaiding Wen | Liuhan Wang | 4.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 6.0 | (12.0) | 7.0 | 12.0 | 79.0 | 67.0 |
| 12th | IND 104 | Jain Sandip | Munna Pandit | 12.0 | 13.0 | 4.0 | (15.0 UFD) | 11.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 90.0 | 75.0 |
| 13th | OMA173 | Ahmed AlHasani | AbdulRahman Al Mashri | 13.0 | 12.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 | (15.0 DNC) | 92.0 | 77.0 |
| 14th | TUN 506 | Hedi Gharib | Fourat Gueddena | 14.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | (15.0 DNF) | 15.0 DNF | 12.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 DNC | 15.0 DNC | 128.0 | 113.0 |
49er FX Class
| Rank | SailNo | HelmName | CrewName | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Total | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | HKG 852 | Molly Highfield | Sandy Wing Chi Choi | (4.0) | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 19.0 | 15.0 |
| 2nd | CHN 619 | Chen Shasha | Ye Jin | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | (5.0) | 4.0 | 21.0 | 16.0 |
| 3rd | THA 286 | Kamonchanok Klahan | Nichapa Waiwai | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | (7.0 DNC) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 29.0 | 22.0 |
| 4th | IND 604 | Ekta Yadav | Ritika Dangi | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | (5.0) | 32.0 | 27.0 |
| 5th | CHN 228 | Huijia Yu | Mengting Wang | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | (7.0 DNS) | 2.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 38.0 | 31.0 |
| 6th | TUN 625 | Eya Guezguez | Sarra Guezguez | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | (7.0 DNC) | 7.0 DNC | 7.0 DNC | 7.0 DNF | 7.0 DNF | 7.0 DNC | 60.0 | 53.0 |
Laser Radial Class
| Rank | SailNo | HelmName | CrewName | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Total | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | IND 217554 | Nethra Kumanan | 2.0 | (7.0) | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 7.0 | |
| 2nd | NED 220808 | Emma Charlotte Jeanne Savelon | (5.0) | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 17.0 | 12.0 | |
| 3rd | IND 210282 | Ramya Saravanan | (13.0 DSQ) | 3.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 33.0 | 20.0 | |
| 4th | HKG 191713 | Stephanie Norton | (6.0) | 6.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 27.0 | 21.0 | |
| 5th | HKG 211717 | Nancy Highfield | 8.0 | (11.0) | 3.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 35.0 | 24.0 | |
| 6th | KOR 211521 | Kim Jia | 7.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | (8.0) | 6.0 | 6.0 | 34.0 | 26.0 | |
| 7th | IND 210440 | Harshita Tomar | 4.0 | 2.0 | (9.0) | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 37.0 | 28.0 | |
| 8th | KOR 201497 | Jung Hyewon | 1.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | (13.0 UFD) | 49.0 | 36.0 | |
| 9th | KAZ 219690 | Karina Jangazova | (9.0) | 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 47.0 | 38.0 | |
| 10th | KOR 214439 | Da Jeong Kim | 3.0 | (13.0 RET) | 10.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 52.0 | 39.0 | |
| 11th | KAZ 219617 | Yana Belozerova | 10.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | (12.0) | 11.0 | 10.0 | 59.0 | 47.0 | |
| 12th | IND159205 | Jayalakshmi Sundaravadivel | 11.0 | 10.0 | (12.0) | 11.0 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 67.0 | 55.0 |
Laser STD Class
| Rank | SailNo | HelmName | CrewName | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Total | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | SGP 218246 | Ryan Lo Jun Han | 5.0 | (6.0) | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 18.0 | 12.0 | |
| 2nd | THA 217427 | Keerati Bualong | (11.0) | 2.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 30.0 | 19.0 | |
| 3rd | IND 208191 | Vishnu Saravanan | 3.0 | (11.0) | 2.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 33.0 | 22.0 | |
| 4th | CHN 218525 | Jiannan Wu | 2.0 | 3.0 | (12.0) | 11.0 | 12.0 | 3.0 | 43.0 | 31.0 | |
| 5th | THA 213137 | Arthit Mikhail Romanyk | 9.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | (10.0) | 6.0 | 42.0 | 32.0 | |
| 6th | HKG 171979 | Nick Bezy | 10.0 | (14.0) | 9.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 47.0 | 33.0 | |
| 7th | IND 203055 | Upamanyu Dutta | 6.0 | 5.0 | (13.0) | 10.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 49.0 | 36.0 | |
| 8th | NED 215917 | Stijn Jacobus Carolus | 7.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | (11.0) | 9.0 | 51.0 | 40.0 | |
| 9th | IND 212161 | Mohit Saini | (14.0) | 9.0 | 14.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 55.0 | 41.0 | |
| 10th | THA 217449 | Chusit Punjamala | 8.0 | (13.0) | 7.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 54.0 | 41.0 | |
| 11th | TPE 197743 | Gerald William | (16.0) | 12.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 58.0 | 42.0 | |
| 12th | CHN 211513 | Zhao Ning | 17.0 | 16.0 | 4.0 | (21.0 RET) | 2.0 | 5.0 | 65.0 | 44.0 | |
| 13th | BRN 212489 | Abdulla Janahi | (15.0) | 1.0 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 65.0 | 50.0 | |
| 14th | BRN 211855 | Dawood Abdulla Sadeq | 1.0 | 8.0 | 15.0 | (17.0) | 16.0 | 17.0 | 74.0 | 57.0 | |
| 15th | KAZ 216733 | Ruslan Jangazov | 4.0 | 4.0 | (21.0 UFD) | 16.0 | 19.0 | 20.0 | 84.0 | 63.0 | |
| 16th | IND 212160 | Gitesh | 13.0 | 19.0 | 11.0 | (21.0 DSQ) | 14.0 | 11.0 | 89.0 | 68.0 | |
| 17th | TPE 206217 | Hsiu Chuan Chiang | (18.0) | 15.0 | 17.0 | 13.0 | 15.0 | 16.0 | 94.0 | 76.0 | |
| 18th | KAZ 213003 | Chshankin Vladimir | (19.0) | 18.0 | 16.0 | 15.0 | 17.0 | 15.0 | 100.0 | 81.0 | |
| 19th | IND 208917 | RamMilan Yadav | 12.0 | 17.0 | 19.0 | 18.0 | (20.0) | 19.0 | 105.0 | 85.0 | |
| 20th | IRN 212845 | Ahmad Ahmadi | (20.0) | 20.0 | 18.0 | 14.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 108.0 | 88.0 |
RS:X Men Class
| Rank | SailNo | HelmName | CrewName | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | Total | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | THA6 | Natthapong Phonoppharat | 1.0 | (3.0) | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 | |
| 2nd | PHI 420 | Yancy Kaibigan | 6.0 | 1.0 | (8.0) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 23.0 | 15.0 | |
| 3rd | PHI 4 | Geylord Coveta | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | (9.0) | 5.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 37.0 | 28.0 | |
| 4th | THA 20 | Navin Singsart | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | (9.0) | 7.0 | 6.0 | 37.0 | 28.0 | |
| 5th | IND 7 | Jerome Kumar Savarimuthu | (11.0) | 9.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 40.0 | 29.0 | |
| 6th | IND 12 | Ebad Ali | 3.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | (10.0) | 6.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 43.0 | 33.0 | |
| 7th | TPE 5 | Chih Kai Hsu | 4.0 | 11.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | (12.0) | 47.0 | 35.0 | |
| 8th | PHI19 | Renz Angelo Amboy | 9.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | (14.0 DNF) | 6.0 | 7.0 | 52.0 | 38.0 | |
| 9th | OMA 6 | Abdulmajeed Alhadrami | (12.0) | 10.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 62.0 | 50.0 | |
| 10th | MAS 5 | Muhammad Izzuddin Adul Rani | 7.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | (12.0) | 12.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 65.0 | 53.0 | |
| 11th | MAS11 | Ahmad Danish Abdul | 10.0 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | (13.0) | 66.0 | 53.0 | |
| 12th | OMA 1 | Faisal Al-Qutaiti | 8.0 | 12.0 | (13.0) | 11.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | 71.0 | 58.0 | |
| 13th | OMA 4 | Almukhtar Al-Mujaini | (13.0) | 13.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 85.0 | 72.0 |
RS:X Women Class
| Rank | SailNo | HelmName | CrewName | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R7 | Total | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | PHI16 | Charizanne Napa | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | (2.0) | 2.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | |
| 2nd | SGP 1 | Amanda Ng Ling Kai | (3.0) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | |
| 3rd | IND 15 | Ishwariya Ganesh | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | (4.0 DNF) | 4.0 NSC | 3.0 | 19.0 | 15.0 |