SAILING: David Burrows says he still can't put his finger on why things didn't go his way as he prepares for the final Finn race tomorrow that could yet see him equal or marginally improve his Sydney score of ninth overall.
In his only media interview during the Olympic regatta the 27- year - old Malahide sailor told The Irish Times last night that he thought a few small things turning into big things were his ultimate undoing.
Only days before the regatta he felt "electric" in the boat. Even when things started to go wrong, with his conservative strategy he maintains he was able to adapt to bigger risks on the race course but admits these tactics did not always pay off as his snakes and ladders scorecard indicates.
He does not accept, however, that in switching strategies he may have fallen between two stools as the Aegean Sea threw up conditions throughout the wind range.
Any post-regatta analysis and future sailing plans will have to wait until he returns home for a debriefing with several coaches including the key holder to his boat speed, the Sydney silver medallist Luca Devotti of Italy.
A week ago team management wanted to suppress news of the boat speed that had demolished all but Ben Ainslie during intensive pre-regatta training runs.
Many predicted the bronze he won in Rio in January would be followed by gold or silver this week but since Wednesday predictions have been consigned to Irish sailing history.
Although he aims to round off his campaign with a win tomorrow morning, Britain's Ben Ainslie, Spain's Rafael Trujillo and Poland's Mateusz Kusznierewicz look certain to provide podium places. Burrows does not want to blame others but there are some race management issues that the International Sailing Federation will wish to review.
There were other races this week which continued despite 40-degree wind shifts but Burrows held a narrow lead when the race officer abandoned racing. It is an example of the small things not going his way this week.
When race three restarted, Burrows - in what he terms the most dragged out regatta of his career - was not at the top of the fleet. Instead he ended up at the back of the pack, counting an 18th.
"I've learned a lot more about Finn sailing in the last two years. It really has been fun but this regatta does mark the end of the campaign," he stated.
On other courses, the Irish 49er pairing Tom Fitzpatrick and Fraser Brown continue to confound critics with a second top-10 placing yesterday, scoring fifth in race six, to put them 11th overall after six of 16 rounds in the twin trapeze class.
Ger Owens and Ross Killian had a top-10 result, a prized fourth in race nine to lie 18th overall with one race left to sail tomorrow.
No such good news for Maria Coleman. After eight years on the circuit, she sealed her 2004 Olympic fate with two further scores well below her best, a 22nd and 19th, giving her 19th overall with only two more races left. Rory Fitzpatrick's Laser results are all tending towards the back quarter of the fleet and he lies 34th after a 26th and a 27th yesterday.
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