Laser Radial Youth World Championship 2014 - Final Day

by Jeff Martin on 4 Aug 2014 Laser Radial Youth World Championship 2014 - Final Day - Poland's Dziwnów put on it’s best show for the final two races of the Laser Radial Youth World titles. A 10 knot breeze from the along the shore built steadily throughout the first race to 13 knots with good surfing waves. The wind topped out at 15 knots but the waves built to give some great rides down wind.

In the girl’s races overnight leader Monika Mikkola FIN had an easier time than expected after her main rival Martina Cacho ESP was given a DNE score late the previous evening following a boat to boat protest in the ninth race. She still had work to do to make sure that 17 year old Maria Erdil HUN could not take the title.

Erdil gave herself a fighting chance by rounding the first mark in the lead which she held to the finish. Mikkola meanwhile had to fight back to sixth to keep her overall lead and give herself a tactical advantage in the final race. If Erdil finished worse than second Mikkola would have the World Champion’s title because she could discard the last race. As expected Mikkola took control and Erdil could not break out from the cover and they finished 20th and 24th results they both discarded.

To become World Champion Joel Rodriguez ESP only had to finish with a fifth or better in one of the last two races of the boy’s fleet even with his nearest competitor Nik Willim GER winning both races. Considering his worst result, including discards, was an 11th only a considerable loss of form, an accident or gear failure would have robbed him of the title.

Fortunately none of these happened, instead he put in put in another class performance to take his second win of the finals and the Championship with a race to spare. Willim had to work hard to keep his second place overall after a scoring a starting disqualification in the first race of the day. His eighth place in the last race was enough to keep him ahead of Benjamin Wempe NED whose last day charge of a second and first place elevated him to third overall.


Final overall results after 11 races with 2 discards:
Girls
1. Monika Mikkola FIN 33 points
2. Maria Erdi HUN 45 points
3. Maite Carlier BEL 49 points
4. Magdalena Kwasna POL 49points
5. Maud Jayet SUI 53 points
6. Valentina Balbi ITA 57 points
Boys
1. Joel Rodriguez ESP 19 points
2. Nik Willim GER 32 points
3. Benjamin Wempe NED 37 points
4. Nicol Villa ITA 39 points
5. Jonatan Vadnai HUN 52 points
6. Vladimir Evfimyevskiy RUS 61 points


http://www.dziwnowlaserworlds2014.com/