iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games in Torbole, Italy - Day 1
by iQFOiL Communications 7 May 04:07 AEST
6-10 May 2025
The iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games are officially under way in Torbole, Lake Garda, marking the second major event of the 2025 season for the U19/U17/U15 athletes of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Class.
Organized by Circolo Surf Torbole in collaboration with the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Class and the Italian Sailing Federation, the event runs through Saturday, 10 May.
Despite gloomy forecasts and heavy cloud cover stretching from Monte Baldo to La Rocchetta, Lake Garda once again defied expectations. A surprise southerly breeze of 12 to 15 knots filled in and held steady for more than two hours, allowing two full course races for all fleets.
The youngest competitors, the U17s, opened the day's action, followed by the U19 fleets. In the U17 Men's division, which was split into two qualifying groups, clear gaps emerged between the frontrunners, while the U19 races were tightly contested, with mark roundings decided by fine margins.
Day 1 Leaders
U17 Girls
Turkey's Rüya Ugurlu impressed with back-to-back wins to lead the fleet, three points ahead of Israel's Omer Hen. Another Turkish athlete, Parla Kabasakal, sits third overall and leads the U15 division.
U17 Boys
Czech sailor Frantisek Burda also started strong, winning both of his races and holding a narrow lead over Germany's Moritz Schleicher (1-2). The Netherlands' Finn Brüll (3-2) rounds out the provisional podium.
U19 Girls
Italy's Medea Falcioni (SEF Stamura) dominated the day with two commanding victories. Teammate Francesca Maria Salerno (CCR Lauria) placed second overall with a 3rd and 2nd, while Israel's Yaheli Leen sits in third (2-9).
Medea Falcioni commented: "I am from Italy, but I am from Ancona, on the Adriatic Sea, so I'm not from here, but I've been sailing here for about a week and competed successfully in the previous event, the Coppa Italia. Today we just had two races, two course races, the first one was really good for me I had a good start on starboard, in the second race I didn't have the best start of all time but I managed to recover in the second upwind. The wind was shifty and light, making it very difficult on the water, son I am happy of my two wins today and I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow, hoping for some better wind!".
U19 Boys
The tightest standings of the day belong to the U19 Men's fleet, led by France's Leopold Brisedou (2-1), just one point ahead of Italian-Canadian Valentino Blewett (3-1). Estonia's Aksel Haava is close behind in third (1-3).
With 215 registered sailors from 23 nations, the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games Torbole confirm their position as one of the largest and most competitive Youth & Junior events on the iQFOiL calendar. Racing resumes Wednesday, 7 May, with the first possible start at 08:00, as organizers look forward to classic early morning northerlies from Garda Trentino.