Boost for Kevin ahead of Olympics

SAILOR Kevin Lim, who will feature in his fourth straight Olympic Games in Beijing, made a mark in Europe by finishing fourth in the German Europa Cup at Warnemunde on Tuesday. Kevin, 32, managed to overcome a bad start in the first race to finish fourth out of 70 sailors in the Laser Standard.

The Sydney-based Kevin managed six top 10 finishes from seven races.

It's a creditable feat considering that the Malaysian was up against some of Europe's best sailors.

"Before the regatta began, my coach thought I was sailing well enough for a top 10 result. After three days of racing, it was obvious I was on course for third place," said Kevin in an email yesterday.
"I would be very happy with finishing fourth except that I could have been third. After a good finish in the first race of the last day and with only one race to go, my focus shifted towards marking my opponents to protect third spot.

"Unfortunately, by doing so, I neglected many of the other aspects that make up a good race. It's a painful lesson but one I would rather learn now than during the Olympics."

The event was won by Canada's Mike Leigh followed by France's Jean-Baptiste Bernaz and Germany's Ottmann Thyen.

A week earlier, Kevin competed in another Laser meet in Germany where he finished 30th from a fleet of 156. -- AJITPAL SINGH