Sailing : Richard Ellis secures win at SIRs, Tim Coltman takes third

Two New Zealand sailors featured very strongly in the Sydney International Regatta, raced from 6-9 December. The RS:X Men’s and Women’s division was won by Richard Ellis, who cleared first place over Jessica Crisp of Australia by one point. Tim Coltman won the Laser Radial Men’s Class on 51 points, after ten races. Australians dominated the home-waters regatta. SIRs is the first major Olympic point-scoring regatta since the Beijing Games in August, is considered a very early indicator of strength for the London 2012 Games, and attracts a high calibre of competitor.