2019 2.4 mR Class World Championship at Yacht Club Italiano: Overall
by Yacht Club Italiano 18 Oct 2019 22:33 PDT
12-18 October 2019
2019 2.4 mR Class World Championship © Martina Orsini
The worlds of the small metre class ended today after a week of very rough weather. A female podium, two women among the first three. England's Megan Pascoe dominated with a perfect week, second was Finland's Marko Dahlberg and third Fia Fjelddahl from Sweden.
The world 2.4 mR championship ended after a very windy week and after six races staged by the Race Committee in often difficult conditions, with heavy seas and strong wind that forced many competitors to retire early. There were however numerous entries - 91 from 15 countries - with tiredness and satisfaction in their eyes as they return to dry land. "The Genoa racecourse proved perfect," said Yacht Club Italiano President Nicolò Reggio, "thanks also to the unique logistics of the fair quarter that hosted the event and the by now habitual synergy between clubs, bodies, and institutions needed to host international events of this magnitude."
The fourth and final day, decisive for the rankings, began under a rain-filled sky, waves of 2 m and a stiff south-easter of 15/18 kn with frequent gusts. Decidedly tough conditions for this boat - although it is unsinkable - that demands particular ability in strong wind. In any case, the team of support inflatables was constantly busy guaranteeing the safety of all competitors and did a magnificent job in the many recovery operations in these stormy days.
The Northern European crews were at their ease in these conditions and dominated the top of the rankings right from the first race. There was a consistent performance from the English Megan Pascoe, with a series of impeccable races (1,1,2,3,2,1,2) who became 2.4 world champion. "It was an incredible week, we expected gentle conditions but the opposite happened," said a sparkling Megan Pascoe returning to land after the final race. "This is my second world title and I've been sailing the 2.4 for 18 years, but winning in Genoa was special!"
Silver medal for the Finnish helmsman Marko Dahlberg, who also sailed an excellent championship (2,2,1,1,7,4,5) and bronze for Fia Fjelddahl (9,5,9,5,3,10,4) of the Swedish team. An excellent fourth place for helmsman Antonio Squizzato who, after a poor start, continued to improve and won today's final race. "New sails and some problems with the rating penalised me on the first day of racing," said the helmsman from the Circolo Canottieri Garda Salò, "but from then on I got the feel of the boat and climbed up the rankings. Genoa surprised me again with these unexpected conditions, but then the unpredictability of the elements is one of the greatest things about the sport."
The prizegiving today ended the 30th edition of the World Championships of a class which, we should remember, is open and can be awarded without any distinction of gender or ability. All of this made the world's a wonderful event, with an extraordinary participation of sailors of all ages, sexes and physical abilities. For lovers of numbers, the youngest entry was a boy born in 2003 and the veteran of the worlds was born in 1940.
As well as the world title and awards for the individual races, during the prizegiving the following awards were presented:
Guldmann Cup (Best Italian in 2.4 World Championship): Antonio Squizzato - ITA
Guldmann Cup (Best in 3 races circuit Italian Championship): Giancarlo Mariani -ITA
Best Lady Competitor: Megan Pascoe - GBR
Best Disabled: Megan Pascoe - GBR
Best Master (over 55): Julio Reguero - PUR
Best Grand Master (over 65): Harald Rolfsnes - NOR
Best under 30: Fia Fjelddahl - SWE
The Youngest: Gianlorenzo Copertari - ITA
Complete rankings at yachtclubitaliano.it