There is no way one should write off the veteran 44-year-old Robert Scheidt.
The five-time Olympic medalist from Brazil has still got the skills and the powers to race in the 49er skiff. This is not an ideal option for any 44-year-old sailor, but Scheidt is different.
Scheidt won the first qualifying race at the Kiel Week and is now in the third position of the 49er Men’s fleet after the three races. Scheidt said that he is very lucky to have a sailing partner in Gabriel Borges. He has tons of experience in steering the boat. Both of them have been training hard back home in Brazil for the past two months and their efforts are now getting rich dividends. He was happy that the conditions for the three races were near perfect to aid his sailing skills.
Scheidt is worried that he might capsize if the wind speed picks up. He says that there is still a lot for him to learn and there are still a lot of mistakes that he has to make in order to get better. The Brazilian pair of Scheidt and Borges is in 3rd position at present.
The youngsters from New Zealand and Australia are in front of them. The New Zealanders comprising of Josh Porebski and Trent Rippey are in the top position of the leaderboard followed by the Australian pairing of David Gilmour and Joel Turner.
Only one point separates Scheidt and the 4th placed team of Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel, who are the bronze medalists at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The conditions are set to change for Day 2 at Kiel Week. This could pose a tough challenge for the veteran Scheidt and his friend. The rains are also expected to hit the Kiel Week sometime during the week.