2015 WIM Series Ready to Set Sail
– Danish defender Camilla Ulrikkeholm is going for another win
The first two years of the Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) saw 39 professional teams from 19 countries competing for gold and glory. Entering the third season, more than 20 teams have already committed. Danish world #1 and defending WIM Series Champion Camilla Ulrikkeholm is the skipper to beat:
“We’re very excited to go into a new year of women’s match racing. Our focus is all about the WIM Series, and we’re aiming for another win this season!”
The upcoming WIM Series season will kick off in Middelfart, Denmark in July. The venue was selected by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) to host the 2015 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship:
“We’re excited and honoured to begin the 2015 WIM Series with such a prestigious event,” WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis comments.
Then the WIM Series moves on to Lysekil in Sweden and to Sheboygan in the USA, before concluding with the grand finale in Busan, South Korea:
“These three venues were part of the WIM Series last year, and we’re very happy to returning there again. All the 2015 sites are world-class, and they all play integral parts in the development and success of women’s match racing around the globe,” Liz Baylis adds.
Will the Danish home waters give Team Ulrikkeholm the opportunity to revenge from last year’s ISAF Women’s World Match Racing Championship in Cork, Ireland, where Anna Östling (neé Kjellberg) grabbed the final matches and the gold medal? Not if the Swede have any say:
“We want to win again, and we know that we have a good chance. But everybody wants to win in Denmark this year. We really need to focus and perform in all races to take the title again,” says Östling, who has finished runner-up in the first two WIM Series seasons, last year behind Ulrikkeholm.
“We are never in it not to win it. We will fight for every win this year, as every year,” Ulrikkeholm declares, determined to take her second consecutive WIM Series title.
“The podium places of the WIM Series were not decided until the last day of the last event in each of the first two years – highlighting the exciting and competitive nature of the Series. We expect nothing less this year. We have a very solid mix of veterans as well as young up and coming teams,” Liz Baylis concludes.
2015 WIM Series Teams (skipper, country, ISAF World Ranking):
Camilla ULRIKKEHOLM, DEN, 1
Anna ÖSTLING, SWE, 2
Stephanie ROBLE, USA, 3
Lotte MELDGAARD, DEN, 4
Anne-Claire LE BERRE, FRA, 5
Caroline SYLVAN, SWE, 6
Milly BENNETT, AUS, 7
Klaartje ZUIDERBAAN, NED, 8
Pauline COURTOIS, FRA, 9
Katie SPITHILL, AUS, 11
Annabel VOSE, GBR, 12
Denise LIM, SIN, 14
Nina RAMM-SCHMIDT, FIN, 15
Sanna HÄGER, SWE, 17
Rikst DIJKSTRA, NED, 18
Johanna LARSSON, SWE, 22
Alexa BEZEL, SUI, 33
Juliana SENFFT, BRA, 40
Sungeun CHOI, KOR, 97
Louise CHRISTENSEN, DEN, 104
Urara FUJII, JPN, 128
Johanna BERGQVIST, SWE, unranked
Diana KISSANE, IRL, unranked
2015 WIM Series events (date, event name, venue):
* July 8 – 12, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Middelfart, Denmark.
* August 3 – 8, Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden.
* September 16 – 20, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA.
* October 28 – November 1, Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, Busan, Korea.
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The Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is the first and only professional sailing series for women, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association and joined by the world’s leading women match racing sailors. Match racing is sailed in two identical boats around a short course, providing fast action close to the crowds on shore. The intense racing is just as exciting for the spectators as it is strategically, tactically and physically challenging for the competing crews.
An overall prize purse of 40 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series at the final event in Busan, Korea, in addition to the prize money at each of the four events included in the 2015 WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type):
* July 8-12, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Middelfart, Denmark, Match 28.
* August 3-8, Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37.
* September 16-20, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6.
* October 28 – November 1, Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, Busan, Korea, K30.
The WIM Series is hosted by WIMRA. Official suppliers are Sailnet, 1080 Media, MILK, Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan, Adstream and Match Racing Results Service.
Images: A number of hi-res images are available for download on www.wimseries.com/media/
More information about the Women’s International Match Racing Series:
WIM Series Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, , +46 70 604 25 04
WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis, , +1 415 691 6202
www.wimseries.com
www.facebook.com/WIMSeries
www.twitter.com/WIMSeries
www.youtube.com/WIMRSeries
www.instagram.com/WIMSeries
