The first day of the finals series at the Laser World Championship in Fortaleza, Brazil yesterday lived up to the highest expectations as Olympic gold medalist, Robert Scheidt BRA, posted two more wins in the toughest two races
held so far. For the first time he was up against all the top sailors in the championship in the same race.

In the first race, in 20kt winds, Brendan Casey from Australia was able to tack off to the right-hand side of the course while Scheidt was locked in the fleet after the 68 boats hit the start line as one.

Playing the shifts in the middle and right Casey and Thomas Le Breton FRA rounded the first mark together just ahead of Scheidt with Diego Romero ARG in fourth.
On the downwind they were constantly changing places as one then another caught a ride in the long swells.

Up the next windward leg they stayed together each trying to sniff the next shift before the others. Not much separated them at the next windward mark
and again they set off for a repeat of the previous downwind leg that kept
all the spectators attention. Scheidt said “I managed to catch the last wave
to the downwind mark and round ahead of Casey, Le Breton and Romero. We
all watched each other and finished in the same order.”

The wind dropped to 15 knots for the next race. Scheidt got out on the
Right-hand side of the course early on and soon had an early
lead. Approaching the windward mark he tacked under the lay line and was
lifted into the mark while those further right overstood and he was ahead
by 50 metres.

From then on he was in his element and extended throughout
the race to claim his biggest win of the series – 1 minute 45 seconds ahead
of 2003 World Champion, Gustavo Lima from Portugal. He was so far ahead
that when he returned to the shore with no other boats nearby some of his
fans thought he had retired!

A second discard is now allowed but only one of these can be taken in the
final series of six races so Scheidt has to keep performing for at least three
more races.

Results (after 10 races with 2 discards)

1. Robert Scheidt 9pts

2. Diego Romero ARG 28pts

3. Vasilij Zbogar SLO 29pts

4. Jeremie Steyaert FRA 31pts

5. Andrew Murdoch NZL 35pts

6. Mate Aropov CRO 37pts

7. Brendan Casey AUS 44pts

8. Mark Powell GBR 56pts

9. Felix Pruvot FRA 59pts

10 Gustavo Lima POR 66pts