MARSEILLE, France — There are light winds in the forecast for the beginning of the sailing competition at the 2024 Olympics on Sunday, potentially creating a significant challenge for the sailors in a bay ringed by cliffs and islands that make for ever-changing currents in the air and water. The first regattas in this Mediterranean port city feature four of the ten Olympic categories; men's and women's iQFOiL windsurfing, and the black-sail skiffs known as 49er for men and 49erFX for women. For all events, points are earned over multiple regattas on multiple days — making sailing a marathon where medals are won by strategy and concentration as much as by physical strength.
But when winds are light, it gets very physical, especially for the windsurfers who need to pump their sails hard to get fast enough for the foil to kick in, making the board fly over the water. A new windsurf opens possibilities The foil is the novelty this year for windsurfing — opening the discipline to young athletes since everyone is starting from scratch, said Shahar Zubari, a women's coach and 2008 bronze medalist for Israel, a country that's particularly strong in the sport. Among the most watched athletes in the women's competition is Israel's Sharon Kantor, 21.
''I like the speed, the way I'm independent,'' Kantor told The Associated Press this week. With the foil, the speed for windsurfers has about doubled to 35 mph (56 kph). Windsurfers are required to wear helmets and impact vests, and t.
