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August 14, 2004 4:26 pm

New York sailor prepared for shifty Athens winds

By Elliott Denman

Gannett News Service

ATHENS - Meg Gaillard knows the breezes off Athens' coast will be ``windy and shifty,'' and that suits her just fine.

The veteran sailor, a member of both the American Yacht Club in Rye, N.Y. and the Newport Yacht Club in Rhode Island, will be America's representative in the Europe Class of the Olympic sailing regatta, which opens Sunday, and has solid medal prospects.

``It's going to be absolutely wide open,'' Gaillard said Saturday, on the eve of her opening race in the single-handed dinghy event.

``There are at least eight strong countries in this. I know the girls from Norway, Germany and Australia, particularly, will be tough, but, really, anybody can win it.''

Gaillard has been studying the wind conditions for the last two weeks. ``I've been here since July 30, the day the Olympic Village opened,'' she said. And she's been to Athens for previous international events as well.Gaillard, who formerly competed in the 470 class, has been world ranked the past two years, building the confidence she'll need in the Games. At the World Championship regatta earlier this year, off Cagliari, Italy, she placed seventh. She was third at the 2003 Worlds, held off Cadiz, Spain.This is her first Olympic experience -- after the frustration of missing out in 1996 and 2000 - and she's been making the most of the opportunity.``Marching in the parade of nations, at Opening Ceremonies Friday night was something just tremendously awesome,'' she said.

``To be there, with all these great athletes, as well as the rest of the world, well it was just incredible.''

Gaillard, who marked her 31st birthday here on Aug. 8, was born in Huntington, Long Island. A graduate of Connecticut College, she also served a stint as a sailing coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.

There will be 11 races in the Europe Class series, with competition wrapping up on Aug. 22.

``I'm ready for all those strong offshore breezes they're predicting,'' she said. ``I'm ready for anything, actually.''

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