A couple bad days on the course probably cost Barrington's Katie McDowell and partner Isabelle Kinsolving a medal when the duo placed fifth overall in women's 470 class at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The U.S. tandem concluded racing Saturday with a fourth-place finish in the eleventh and last race of the event. The result, coming on the heels of first- and eighth-place finishes the previous racing day, moved the duo from sixth to fifth overall.
The host country easily won the event with 38 points. Spain (62) and Sweden (63) earned the silver and bronze medals respectively with Slovakia (65) and the U.S. (84) close behind.
"There is a disappointment about missing a medal," said McDowell, "but we were 15th after the first day, so fifth is a whole lot better. I'm pleased we ended strong.
"We had a couple of days that were great and two days where we had some tough luck, but generally we sailed pretty well. I am proud of how we did. I am proud of us."
McDowell and Kinsolving started the regatta by going through one of the two tough days she mentioned. The women finished twelfth in the opening race and sixteenth in the second race of the day. The other tough day proved to be when the seventh and eight races were held.
The tandem had rebounded nicely from its first day on the water by moving to seventh-place overall, mostly on the strength of second- and third-place finishes. But then the seventh and eighth races saw McDowell and Kinsolving take a step backwards.
The U.S. team had a perfect pin-end start for the first race of the day in the gradually building sea breeze of about 10 knots. The women continued left, but the pressure came from the right and they were only ninth at the weather mark.
Then they had an incident with the Brits at the end of the top reach that ended up going to the protest room and they lost five boats in the process to finish eighteenth. Things didn't improve much from there as they finished in the same position the second race of the day.
One day later McDowell and Kinsolving sailed the way they knew they could when they placed eight in the opening race and then won the second race to move to sixth-place overall.
"There is no day like any other day here," said Kinsolving, who mentioned her team made a solid comeback in the first race and had great upwind and downwind speed in the second. "It's really exciting sailing against the best competitors in the world and at moments being the best in the world yourself."
The Greeks finished second in the race McDowell and Kinsolving won and clinched the gold medal in the process. The Greeks sailed into the harbor to a cacophony of boat horns and flag waving.
McDowell, Kinsolving place fifth at 2004 Olympics
The United State team of Barrington's Katie McDowell and partner Isabelle Kinsolving won one race of 11 contested and finished in fifth place overall in women's 470 sailing at the 2004 Olympics. Final results follow.
1. Greece 38; 2. Spain 62; 3. Sweden 63; 4. Slovakia 65; 5. U.S. 84; 6. Denmark 89; 7. Great Britain 91; 8. Russia 94; 9. Netherlands 100; 10. France 100; 11. Japan 101; 12. Argentina 102; 13. Canada 103; 14. Austria 108; 15. Germany 109; 16. New Zealand 118; 17. Brazil 119; 18. Israel 122; 19. Hungary 128; 20. Italy 141.
With reports from US sailing coach Skip Whyte and US Sailing