For the US Sailing Team, the Paralympics are off to a strong start. In the 2.4mR, Dee Smith is currently in third overall, with a 7 and 1 on his scorecard. “In the first race, I didn’t get off the line very well, and I got ‘pinged’ a couple times, with too many tacks on the first beat,” says Smith in a team statement. “The second race was very clean. I won the start, and it was a two-way battle with Helena [Lucas] from Great Britain for the next couple of legs.” Smith maintained his lead all the way through the start to take a bullet in race two. It’s early days yet, but Smith predicts he will know by midweek if he has a medal chance in this highly competitive class. “I’ve been sailing here for more than 23 years,” he says. “I did a couple of Cape Town to Rio races and a Volvo [stop] here, so I feel comfortable in Rio and I like it.”
via 2016 Paralympic Sailing: Team USA Starts Strong | Sailing World
