Michigan Olympic Updates: Sailing
8/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Olympics
• Rio Olympics Site | U-M Olympics Coverage
Tuesday, Aug. 16
Michigan alumnus Bora Gulari and his partner, Louisa Chafee, closed out their Rio Olympics with a strong fourth-place finish in the Nacra 17 Mixed medal race, finishing the overall competition in eighth place with 106 points. It was a tremendous comeback from the American duo, which suffered a disastrous second day that featured two maximum scores of 21 due to boat complications. They bounced back with eight straight top-10 finishes; today's fourth-place showing was their fourth inside the top 10. Gulari and Chafee climbed a spot in the overall standings with their medal-race performance and finished 22 points shy of fifth place. Argentina's Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli captured gold; just one point separated the top three, while the top five was separated by seven points.
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Medal Race): 4th place (16:25)
Sunday, Aug. 14
Michigan alumnus Bora Gulari and his partner, Louisa Chafee, used three top-10 finishes to climb to ninth place in the overall standings -- after starting the day in 12th -- and qualify for the medal race in the Nacra 17 Mixed competition. The duo, which ranked as low as 18th of 20 teams after boat issues forced two scores of 21 points on the competition's second day, closed out the 12 qualifying races with seven straight top-10 finishes, including three inside the top five. Gulari and Chafee turned in a third-place showing in the day's final race in a time of 32:17, hanging among the top three boats through all five marks. They enter the medal race with 98 points -- 19 points outside the top five and 26 outside the top three. The medal race counts for double points.
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 10): 8th place (28:33)
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 11): 9th place (31:38)
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 12): 3rd place (32:17)
Saturday, Aug. 13
Returning from yesterday's off day and with their boat complications seemingly behind them, Michigan alumnus Bora Gulari and his partner, Louisa Chafee, turned in three top-10 finishes to surge to 12th place in the Nacra 17 Mixed competition. The duo posted its best performance of the Rio Games in the day's second race -- eighth overall -- remaining among the leaders from start to finish to claim second place in a time of 29:40 -- their second top-five effort of the competition. They also secured an eighth-place and ninth-place showing to total just 19 points on the day and climb four positions in the overall standings. With 78 points through nine qualifying races, Gulari and Chafee sit just one point shy of the top 10 -- necessary to qualify for the final medal race -- with three races remaining.
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 7): 9th place (29:28)
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 8): 2nd place (29:40)
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 9): 8th place (31:02)
Thursday, Aug. 11
In a day that featured four races due to yesterday's postponement, Michigan alumnus Bora Gulari and his partner, Louisa Chafee, experienced a full spectrum of results -- high and low -- to drop to 16th overall after the midway sixth race of the Nacra 17 Mixed competition. Boat trouble dealt the duo two scores of the maximum 21 points as they were unable to start the first race of the day and, later, unable to complete the third. They took 12th place (30:03) in the day's second race before wrapping the evening with a fourth-place showing (26:44), their best so far in the competition. With 59 points, they sit 13 points outside of the top 10 -- necessary to qualify for the final medal race -- with six preliminary races still remaining.
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 3): Did not start
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 4): 12th place (30:03)
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 5): Did not finish
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 6): 4th place (26:44)
Wednesday, Aug. 10
Fighting through big waves and a fierce wind, which ultimately forced a postponement of the day's final sailing event, Michigan alumni Bora Gulari and his partner, Louisa Chafee, sit in 11th place after the second race -- of 12 preliminary races -- of the Mixed Nacra competition. The duo finished 13th in the first race in 28:47 before using a late surge to claim ninth place in 35:55, improving eight positions over the final three marks. With 23 points, they are 15 behind Switzerland's Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger, who have claimed a first- and a seventh-place finish to total eight points.
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 1): 13th place (28:47)
• Bora Gulari/Louisa Chafee (Race 2): 9th place (35:55)
