Tom Ashley

The Olympic championwould like be training on the English south coast in preparation for the 2011 Weymouth and Portland International Regatta, a series of races which serve as a pre-Olympic test event, starting on July 31.
Thanks to a touch of groin pain he first noticed four weeks ago on a training ride with his surgeon, and good friend, Mat Brick, he's not. Brick examined it, and Ashley was under the knife a week later. Ashley's femur was slightly the wrong shape and, because of that, was gradually beginning to wear away cartilage in his hip socket.
While Ashley is recovering, Jon-Paul Tobin, his sole rival for the slot available to New Zealand in the RS:X boardsailing regatta at the 2012 London Olympics, will be going hard off the Dorset coast.

Competition bibs were presented, this morning, to the NZL Sailing team who will be sailing in the 2011 Pre-Olympics at Weymouth, England in early August. Yachting New Zealand has named crews for nine of the ten events, including J P Tobin in the RS:X. In an interview with Newstalk ZB's, Peter Montgomery, Tom Ashley talks of the reasons for his performance in Weymouth, and where to from here.

Jon-Paul Tobin still leads and has shaken off his on-shore friend Dorian van Rijsselberge of the Netherlands with nine points over him in the standings. However he now faces the attack of local rider Nick Dempsey who has pulled himself up to 2nd place with one point separating the two at the top.

“Pretty tricky, sailed some nice lines to punch in two solid results, Nick Dempsey sailed really well,” tells Tobin. “I maintain a one point lead going into the medal race tomorrow...POW!”

Tobin’s results from day five were a 2nd and a 4th.

RS:X Men: GBR’s Nick Dempsey has challenged Jon-Paul Tobin of the NZL Sailing Team for the lead in the Men’s RS:X event and both now share equal points at the top of the board. Dempsey claimed double guns on day three while Tobin sailed solidly with a 5th and a 2nd in the two races sailed.

Olympic champ Tom Ashley slips to 11th place with a 6th and 7th in overnight racing. “Racing has been a bit frustrating for me so far- my first day was great, but I have struggled a bit over the last two days,” reports Ashley.

RS:X Men: The usual suspects head the Men’s RS:X fleet including the NZL Sailing Team’s two representatives Tom Ashley and Jon-Paul Tobin both in the top five after day one. The Olympic champ was 3rd and 2nd overnight to hold 4th place, Tobin placed 6th and 2nd and just behind in 5th overall.

Piotr Myszka of Poland took two guns for a perfect scorecard and the lead at this early stage.

RS:X Women: Natalia Kosinska has made the strongest start of the four kiwi entries in the Women’s RS:X - finishing 6th and 7th in the two races sailed, Kosinska is in 12th position.