Sam Meech, the first New Zealand sailor in action at the Olympics, didn’t have quite the opening day he wanted.
Competing in the laser competition, Meech finished the first race 19th in the field of 35. He was going much better in the second race, but it was abandoned owing to light winds when he was among the top five.
“I didn’t get the start I wanted, and I was playing catch-up after that,” said Meech, the bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. “I didn’t read the conditions that well. But it’s only one race in a long competition and I’m confident the speed is there.”
Meech finished 2min 43s behind today’s first race winner, Jean Baptiste Bernaz of France.
There are eight more races before the medal race next Sunday.