Giles Scott 2008 Finn Junior World Champion

by Corinne McKenzie on 29 Jan 2008
In the Junior division of the Finns, Giles Scott (GBR) has been leading the contest since the first day and had the Junior title well secured.

The fight was on for the second and third places not yet decided before the last race sailed today for the sailors ranked 11th and up. Piotr Kula (POL) and Federico Melo (POR) are conserving their earlier position to take Silver and Bronze.

Henry Bagnall (GBR) is disappointed and surprised after being disqualified on the start. “I started on the third row!”, this penality costing him the bronze medal in the Junior Championship.

Federico Melo's third place in the Juniors is shadowed by missing out on Olympic selection by only 22 points. The sixth country place held yesterday by Ali Kemal Fekci was coveted by Ukraine and Portugal tailing the Turk closely.

However Fekci managed to keep his direct opponents at bay qualiying his country and himself for the Olympics. Junior European champion in the Finn in 1993, Ali Kemal Fekci had stopped racing in the Finn in 1996 to try his luck in the Laser. “I was coaching the Chinese Laser team in Qingdao and realised that it could be my type of conditions. I asked my Federation and started again in the Finn two month ago.”

First country to qualify for the Olympic Games is Italy with Giorgio Poggi in 19th position. “I am very happy with my results. I had an intense training with Emilios, Pieter-Jan, and other good guys in Greece and I can see my progress. I now hope that my Federation will send me or one of us to the Olympics.”

2007 European Champion, Edouard Skornyakov (RUS) is taking the second place in 25th position. Other countries to qualify are Cyprus, Austria, Germany and Turkey.