Optimist European Championship – Boy and girl champions crowned

by Icarus Sports on 7 Aug 2017 The final day at the 2017 Optimist European Championship delivered another perfect day on the race course. Racing was scheduled to start an hour earlier in an attempt by the Race Committee to get two races completed for all fleets before the 3:00pm deadline.

The very predictable thermal winds arrived on schedule, however only two races were completed for the Girls Gold fleet and Boys Gold and Silver Fleets.

Stefan Yuill (SRB) finished the day off with a second and 18th (his drop race) to hold on to his first place overall position in the Gold Fleet. As he is also the top European competitor, he has been crowned the 2017 Optimist Boy European Champion.

Igor Kuczys (POL) stuck close to Yuill all day as he had finishes of third and 16th in both races to finish second overall and the second European. He discarded an early 16th place however, this was not enough to overtake Yuill as he ended up 12 points behind.

Eight points behind Kuczys and third overall and third European was Iakovos-Dimitrios Dedes-Ntentopoulos(GRE) who had 15th and seventh place finishes today for a total of 50 points.

Yesterday’s leader Can Erturk(TUR) had a tough day. He was disqualified from the first race after being protested, to drop him to seventh overall. Another early leader Santiago Palkin (ARG) finished up ninth overall.

In the Girls Gold Fleet, Donna Mazzuchhelli (ARG) dominated the first place podium spot all week long and ended up 26 points ahead of the second place sailor India-Page Wood (GBR) to give her the Overall Girl Champion at the event. As she is from Argentina, she could not be crowned the 2017 Optimist European Champion. That honour went to India-Page Wood from Great Britain. She sailed consistently on the final day to finish with a fifth and sixth place in the last two races to put her 24 points ahead of third place overall and second European Natascha Rast (SUI).

Natascha was tied in points with Johanna Schmidt (AUT) who finished fourth overall and but ended up on the podium as the third place European.

The 2017 Optimist European Championship wrapped up today in Bourgas where 261 sailors from 44 countries had five days of excellent racing. Competition was fierce in all of the fleets and every sailor is congratulated on their performance.