Southampton, UK ? The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) just released the Olympic International World Sailing Rankings with the Canadian Sailing Team (CST) taking many of the top spots. The CST is making their presence known on the international sailing stage with two athletes finishing in second place overall and another four teams finishing in the top ten. The Canadian?s are on the leaders? board with other powerhouse nations like Great Britain, France and the USA.
Canadian Sailing Team athlete?s Mike Leigh and Chris Cook are both ranked second in the World in the Laser and Finn class respectively. Mike Leigh has demonstrated his skill throughout the year - finishing fourth at the world championships last month. Chris Cook also had a strong year in the Finn class finishing many international regattas in the top ten.
Among the top ten in the World are also Canadian Sailing Team members; Oskar Johansson and Kevin Stittle are ranked sixth in the Tornado class, Bernard Luttmer is ranked seventh in the Laser class, Lisa Ross is eighth in the Laser Radial Class, and Jen Provan and Carol Luttmer are ranked ninth in the 470 class.
?I?m very excited about the Canadian Sailing Team. This is the first time is history we have seen this kind of excellence across the entire Team. I?m confident that the team will be medal contenders for 2008?, said John Curtis, Canadian Sailing Team Technical Director. ?Having worked hard all season and seeing other CST members striving hard with me, I am very excited to see the Canadian names at the top of the leaderboard,? said Chris Cook.
"It's a really exciting time to be on the team, when you see your teamates doing well it motivates and pushes you to do the same. Everyone has been working hard and the results are just starting to show, there is a lot more to come out of the entire Canadian Sailing Team," Said Kevin Stittle.
For compete rankings visit; http://www.sailing.org/rankings.
Chris Cook
Chris started sailing in Whitby Ontario over 15 years ago. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and the Canadian Sailing Team (Canadian Yachting Association). Chris finished second in his Canadian Olympic trials for the 2004 Games in Athens, and has committed to another four year campaign. In 2001, Chris received the CYA Male Athlete of the Year award. Chris currently resides in Rosedale in Toronto where he trains out of the Toronto Habour.
About Oskar and Kevin
Oskar Johansson of Oakville Ontario, has sailed all his life. His competitive sailing career started when he was 14 while racing Lasers out of The Oakville Yacht Squadron. Oskar went to the 2004 Olympics in Athens and finished 15th. He is also a Pan American Games Gold Medalist in the Sunfish and a 5 x Canadian National champion in the Tornado (02-06). Oskar graduated from Queen?s University in 2002 with a B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Economics. He is currently campaigning full time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Kevin Stittle of Orangeville Ontario, started windsurfing when he was 11. After a successful beginning on the windsurfer, 3 x National Champion, Canada Games Gold Medalist and Pan American Games Bronze Medalist, Kevin, gave Tornado sailing a try and teamed up with Oskar in 2005.
Kevin and Oskar are currently ranked 6th in the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) ranking system. They are the 2006 North American Champions and are training full time for a medal performance in Beijing in 2008.
About Bernard Luttmer
At the age of 12, Bernard began racing the Optimist dinghy. He developed quickly and represented Canada at the 1993 Optimist World Championships in Spain, his first international event. The next move was into the Laser 2?s at the RCYC junior club, teaming up with fellow club sailor Gordon Cook. To follow his Olympic dreams, at age 17, he moved into the Olympic Laser class. For the past seven years he has been training in the Laser with the High Performance Team at RCYC. He has competed for Canada at the Laser Worlds seven times. In 2000 he placed 3rd at the Canadian Olympic Trials narrowly missing a berth for the games in Australia. Four years later Bernard found himself on top and having been selected to the Canadian Olympic Team for Athens. He now strives for medal performance in 2008.
About Lisa Ross
Lisa grew up in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and started sailing in the junior sailing program at the Lunenburg Yacht Club (http://www.lyc.ns.ca/links.html) when she was eight. In 1994, she won the Canadian Youth Championship and the berth at the 1995 World Youth Championships. Lisa has also represented Canada at the Pan Am Games in the Laser Radial. Ross started sailing the Yngling class in 2001. In 2004 she qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens, 2004 where they placed 16th.
Lisa has since returned to the Laser Radial class, the newest Women's Olympic Class, in hopes of bringing home a medal for Canada in Beijing in 2008. Lisa graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2000 with a degree in Marine Biology. Lisa is a member of the Canadian Sailing Team (www.sailing.ca).
About Jen Provan and Carol Luttmer
Jen Provan started sailing as a child at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. She is a member of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and the Canadian Sailing Team (Canadian Yachting Association). Jen was the US Collegiate Champion in 1999. She has been a national team member for five years and is also a repeated National Champion. Jen was on the 2004 Olympic team and is hoping for medal performance in 2008.
Carol Luttmer started sailing in Pickering as a child. She is a member the Canadian Sailing team (Canadian Yachting Association). Carol won the gold medal at the Canada Games in 1997. Carol has her Master?s Degree from Guelph?s university in geography. Carol is hoping for medal performance in Beijing in 2008.
