Maloney claims first world title
WELLINGTON: Andy Maloney yesterday won his first world title and moved closer to securing an Olympic berth with victory in the Finn Gold Cup in Porto.
Maloney became the second New Zealander in 18 months to claim the prestigious trophy after he entered the final day of the regatta with a fivepoint lead and banked three solid scores to win.
Defending champion and close friend Josh Junior, of New Zealand, finished third.
The New Zealand Olympic selectors now have a very difficult decision to make with only one of the sailors able to compete at the Tokyo Games.
The other will still travel to Japan and support the sailor chosen as his coach.
Maloney finished seven points ahead of Spaniard Joan Cardona, with Junior a further three points back, but there was some controversy afterwards with a protest against Cardona for his tactics in the final race of the regatta.
It did not make much difference to Maloney, who savoured his regatta win.
‘‘Going down the final run [of the last race], there was a lot of difference between me and the guys who could overtake me on the results,’’ Maloney said.
‘‘I felt pretty good at that stage but nothing is done in yachting so I just tried to get to the finish as best I could and just let it all out when I crossed the line.’’
Neither Maloney nor Junior knew how they would go this week, especially as they have spent little time in the Finn over the past 18 months because of their America’s Cup commitments and the interruptions caused by Covid19.
Maloney and Junior will stay in Portugal to continue their buildup to the Olympics before heading to Italy for the next round of the SailGP.