Sailors from 64 nations including Bermuda are gearing up for the first big showdown of Olympic and Paralympic sailing in 2016, Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella.
More than 780 athletes will feature across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic events from Monday January 25th to Saturday 30th. The Olympic competitors will be fighting it out to appear in Saturday's live television broadcast of the Medal Races.
The Laser Radial fleet will be the one to watch in Miami with a special trio facing off in the 80-boat fleet which includes Ceci Wollmann. London 2012 Gold Medalist Lijia Xu will be joined by Silver Medalist Marit Bouwmeester and Bronze Medalist Evi Van Acker.
Alongside Ireland's Annalise Murphy, Xu, Bouwmeester and Van Acker had a famous four way battle for Gold at London 2012 with the Chinese racer coming out on top. Xu stepped away from the Laser Radial in 2013 but after a two-year hiatus she returned to Olympic sailing at the 2015 Laser Radial World Championship.
The rivalry with Bouwmeester and Van Acker resumed instantly as she finished sixth to their second and third. With more miles and training in the bag, Xu, who stole the hearts of the sailing world in 2012 will be aiming to make an impression in Miami.
Denmark's Anne Marie Rindom continues to excite in the Laser Radial and returns to Miami to defend the title she won 12 months ago. Rindom also comes into the American World Cup regatta off the back of a world championship victory last year and will be aiming for the medals once again.
Much like the Radial, the Laser Fleet will feature many of the leading lights of sailing and is set to be a hot contest including Cameron Pimentel.
World #1 Tom Burton and #2 Matt Wearn will spearhead a Fleet that includes key players on the road to Rio. Five-time Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt, 2014 world champion Nicholas Heiner, Rutger van Schaardenburg, Andy Maloney, Jesper Stalheim and Charlie Buckingham will be amongst the front runners looking to capture top honors.
