Thompson, Roller move up sailing standings in London
Published: August 2, 2012
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OSPREY QUAY, England - After three days in, Cy Thompson is starting to gain ground.
The 24-year-old St. Thomas native posted his best two finishes of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games on Wednesday when he crossed the line 17th and 21st among the 49 sailors in the Laser Class.
He currently sits in 25th place overall with five races to go. Today is a lay day, and the action picks up again Friday with two more races at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.
"I had two terrible starts but was able to get my head out of the boat and make some good decisions," Thompson said. "I had great speed for the most part, and my coach, Charlie Buckingham, made some very good pre-race game plans that contributed to my best race."
Buckingham is a Georgetown University graduate and sailed against Thompson two years ago when the two were in college. The two paired up this summer for the Olympics.
Thompson, who was an All-American at Roger Williams, said the wind speed maxed out at 15 knots on Wednesday.
Fellow USVI sailor Mimi Roller, 21, of St. John, also posted her best finish of the regatta on Wednesday. After she turned in a 40 in the first race, Roller finished the day with a 22 and climbed one spot in the overall Laser Radial class rankings.
After 10 races, the 10 sailors from each fleet with the lowest combined points will battle it out in one final medals race on Monday, in which points will count double.
The competition fighting for those final spots is nothing new to Thompson.
"I have raced against all these guys throughout the World Cup circuit, but everything ramps up at the Games," he said. "It's impressive how fast everyone is going and how hard we are pushing the envelope out there. In the big breeze, everyone is just sprinting around the course so the second you slack off, you'll be left in the dust."
Thompson plans to spend today's lay day resting and visiting with his parents, Chris and Christine Thompson, who made the trip over from St. Thomas.
This is his first Olympics, so Thompson is not getting ahead of himself, even after the best day of the regatta so far.
"I am not in a position to make a run for a medal, but there is definitely room to make some gains," he said. "I think I have the ability to do it. I gotta get off the line, and then I'll be able to showcase my talent."
Pavlos Kontides of Cyrus is the new leader in the Men's Laser class and holds a one-point lead over Australia's Tom Slingsby.
After winning the first four races of the regatta, Ireland's Annalise Murphy turned in an 8 and 19 on Wednesday, but is still clinging to first place in the Laser Radial fleet.
- Contact sports writer Aaron Gray at 714-9102 or email agray@dailynews.vi.
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