Murphy leads the way in Rio

By Stephen Leonard

RATHFARNHAM sailor Annalise Murphy currently leads the Laser Radial Class at the Olympic Games in Rio after finishing 5th and second in Wednesday’s races in Copacabana.

This Dubliner dropped down to third after Race Five but bettered that display in Race Six to go top of the leader-board.
Murphy made an impressive start to her Olympic campaign, recording a first and 14th place finish in her first two outings in the Women’s Laser Radial Class on Monday.

Taking the lead in the opening contest after the third marker, she won out in a time of 50:57 and this, together with her 14th position in the second run, was enough to see her into fourth place overall.

What’s more, it left her just one point off Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom in third and eight behind then leader Lijia Xu of China.
On Day Two of competition Murphy finished in fourth and seventh place to leave her in second position overall.

After managing fourth in a time of 46:43 in her third race, she was sailing in a strong second in Race Four, and briefly took the lead, before taking a big hit and falling back to seventh.

However, she valiantly recovered and sailed strongly to hold the position to the end, leaving her just five points behind the leader, Lijia Xu of China.