Sailing: Four Singaporean sailors earn their tickets to Rio Olympics

Singapore sailors Griselda Khng (right) and Sara Tan at the Sea Games in 2015. PHOTO: ST FILE
Sailors Justin Liu and Denise Lim also sealed their Olympic berth in the mixed-gender multi-hull Nacra17, finishing 20th out of 42 sailors in Spain. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Four Singaporean sailors have earned the right to represent the Republic at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Griselda Khng and Sara Tan finished 11th out of 34 sailors in the 49erFX skiff class at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta in Palma, Spain, nine places ahead of compatriots Kimberly Lim and Cecilia Low.

The regatta is the second of two events - besides the world championships last November - nominated by the Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF) to select their Olympics-bound sailors. And the pair with the lowest weighted point score will go to Brazil.

Entering Palma, Tan and Khng were front runners to book their tickets to Rio, as they had held a 21-point weighted point lead over their rivals.

They finished 13th at the world championships - a result that had earned a qualification spot at the Olympics for Singapore, while their compatriots were 27th.

And after completing the two regattas, Khng and Tan amassed 30.5 points, beating Lim and Low (60.5) in the race to Rio.

Justin Liu and Denise Lim also sealed their Olympic berth in the mixed-gender multi-hull Nacra17, finishing 20th out of 42 sailors in Spain.

But their qualification chances were not affected nor challenged, as they were the only Singaporean sailors completing in the class.

Both Nacra17 and 49erFX skiff are new classes that will make their debuts at the Rio Olympics.

Khng, Tan, Liu and Lim join windsurfer Leonard Ong (RS:X) in confirming their places in Brazil, while another four spots across three classes are up for grabs. Singapore will have a record nine sailors competing at Rio.

They have been nominated by SSF but it is subjected to approval by the Singapore National Olympic Council.

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