Source: www.guardian.co.tt
T&T Olympic hopeful Andrew Lewis would have contested the Laser category in its preliminary stages at the Delta Lloyd regatta in Medemblik, Holland yesterday. The regatta is the fifth of seven World Cup events. Hoping to finish the event in the Gold Fleet while pushing to take T&T to a top 35 country, Lewis will be competing with intentions to help improve his world ranking which currently places him at 137th (as of May 4). Initially through the preliminary stages, all efforts will be made to advance to the Silver Fleet before the Gold Fleet can be taken into consideration.
Lewis has been in Holland since Saturday after a short stint in England to begin training for the event which will feature over 600 boats in ten Olympic classes with elite sailors traveling from 61 countries.
So far Lewis has participated in all but one of the seven World Cup events. He missed the event in Palma, Spain in March, sacrificing the consequence of an effect on his world ranking to train in Perth, Australia’s World Cup venue.
During his time in Perth, Lewis (through the Emerging Nations Programme) trained with some of his future opponents in the Pan Am and perhaps the Olympics next year, taking every ounce of opportunity ahead of the World Cup events 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championship also being held in Perth in December. While in Perth, he managed a third place finish in the full-rig laser class. He will be back in the UK from next week to take part in the sixth World Cup event in Weymouth and Portland between June 5-11. Lewis will be in action in the laser category from this afternoon and results will determine his participation in the next few days. The final day of competition is Sunday.