2019 RS:X Youth World Championship at St. Petersburg, Russia - Day 3
by Event Press 9 Aug 2019 02:04 PDT
4-11 August 2019
Day 3 - 2019 RS:X Youth World Championship © Anya Semeniouk
During the first two days of racing at the RS:X Youth World Championship, St. Petersburg, Neva Bay provided a range of testing conditions from 20 knots down to 5 knots. However, on day 3, the wind proved to be too fickle and the 104 competitors from 19 countries were forced to enjoy the shoreside activities instead.
Out on Neva Bay, the race committee struggled to with a light 2-3 knot fluctuating breeze that they were convinced would not provide fair racing. The RS:X is a versatile class and has run successful racing in 3 knots before, but if the wind constantly changes direction, the racing becomes unfair.
However, whilst the event organisers could not control the weather, they had very much anticipated having to entertain a large number of athletes and coaches ashore. So instead the windsurfers did not get bored and rather had fun on the beach. Different types of entertainment were available - beach volleyball and football, chatting with friends, sunbathing, swimming and various challenges that the windsurfers threw down to each other. The race village is encamped ashore near the park of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
"We have a volleyball field on the beach. You can play volleyball, soccer or have fun in the racing village," says Andrei Spiridonov, a windsurfer from the Academy of Sailing of the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg. "Everything is very cool - we shoot challenges there, have a good time and make contacts with racers from other countries so that we can meet around the world. The French racers are very cool in performing bottle-throwing challenges. The Omanis play volleyball as if they are preparing for the World Cup."
On their free day, the Omanis really created a furor on the volleyball court. The windsurfers explained their superiority in volleyball. "We are used to playing volleyball in our homeland," says Mohammed Nabil Al Balush. "In Oman, we keep a fast during the holy month of Ramadan, and we are forbidden to perform any physical activity before sunset. At night we play volleyball, not football because that volleyball doesn't need lighting, gates and special markings. It's a more affordable sport."
Due to the lack of races, the situation in the rankings has not changed. In the men's rankings, Israeli Eyal Yohay Zror (10 points) retains the lead. Following him is his compatriot Daniel Basik Tashtash (13 points). Among the girls, the French woman Manon Pianazza (14 points) leads, the second and third place are the Israeli women Naama Greenberg and Linoy Geva (both 17).