Blood runs thicker than water

By Gao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2007-08-24 07:09

From left to right: Laser gold medalist Paul Goodison (GBR), Yngling winners Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson (GBR) and Laser Radial gold medalist Anna Tunnicliffe (USA). Ju Chenghao

QINGDAO: Danish brothers Peter and Soren Hansen have been truants for the past two years - the two university students spend almost 200 days a year sailing when they should be in the classroom.

Both started sailing when they were small children together with mom and dad, skipper Peter told China Daily.

"I love spending time on the water," Peter said. "Sailing is one of the sports where you can spend time in nature and have the environment and the forces of nature play a role in the sport."

The brothers won a bronze after Wednesday's medal race in the Qingdao International Regatta.

Britain's Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes and Spain's Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez (ESP) finished ahead of them.

"There are many top crews," Peter said. "There are the Brits here, they became world champion a month ago, so they are very strong, also the Spanish guys who won the Olympics last time.

"I really think you cannot take any of the crews and say this one has the opportunity. Everybody has a chance.

"We have been preparing mentally and physically to race in these conditions. Our main goal is to win the gold medal for next year, we feel really confident."

The Hansen brothers finished 12th in the 49er skiff category of the ISAF World Championships this July and now rank 10th in the world.

Ten years ago Peter's regular crewmate couldn't race in a regatta off Denmark, so his younger brother filled in.

The pair won and have manned the same boat ever since.

"It's interesting to sail with my brother," Soren said. "It's a good thing to have all these experiences together with your family. I think us being brothers has given us some advantages.

"It is very important to know each other very well.

The Hansen brothers state emphatically that gold is what they want in 2008.

"We are very ambitious, that's our style," Soren said.

But they still need to sail in next month's European Championship in Italy and January's World Championship in Australia before qualifying for next summer's big event.

(China Daily 08/24/2007 page24)