470 and 420 Junior European Championship 2026 at Nida, Lithuania - Day 4
by International 470 Class Association 25 Jul 06:20 PDT
22-27 July 2026
Action at the 420 & 470 Junior Europeans in Nida, Lithuania, is coming to an important stage. The sailors have two more fleet races tomorrow, while on Monday the top 10 teams will compete in the Medal Series and the rest of the fleet in the Last Race.
This morning's racing brought two races in 13-16 knots of breeze and shifty conditions. The sailors had to find the right shifts and show tactical brilliance around the race course.
The top two teams are Italian. Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio remain in the lead after finishing 3rd and 9th today. In second place are Livia Ciampinelli and Nicola Brunotti, who had two strong results, finishing 4th and 5th.
The first race was won by Germany's Amelie Wehrle and Riccardo Honold. The duo moved up to third overall, ahead of France's Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel.
"Today was a very tough day and it was very gusty, very windy, from 10 to about 15 knots. It was really about getting the right shifts and going to the right side. It was two very fun races", said the German duo.
"For tomorrow, it's very important. We have two more races with the discard, so we don't want any more big points. Still no UFDs, no BFDs. We just want to keep all the points small, try to beat the teams around us, and then have a safe spot for the final race", they added.
The battle at the top of the leaderboard is very tight, but the teams are also fighting hard to stay in the top 10 and qualify for Monday's Medal Series.
The Greek duo sailed extremely well today, but an unfortunate UFD in the first race, which they won on the water, dropped them to 13th overall. Brazilian sailors Said Royo and Gabriela Vassel moved up to 9th place. Poland's Agnieszka Pawlowska and Tomasz Lewandowski remain in the top 10. Their results have been a little mixed, but some strong races are keeping them in a solid 8th place overall.
"Today's conditions were a little bit shifty, and the wind was coming from left to right, from around 20 to 30 degrees, so it was very useful if you used the shifts correctly. The first race for us was very good", said Tomasz.
"I think our upwind sailing was really, really good. Downwind, we still have to improve, and the second race was one we can probably keep quiet about."
"Sometimes we get a little surprised by people's actions on the starting line. We have races where we start well and others where we are a bit unhappy with our start. Overall, I feel like we are improving from race to race and trying to become a bit more consistent. We still have a little work to do", said Agnieszka.
"Thankfully, there is one more day of fleet racing before the Medal Series. I think we can do well in the final part of the regatta. The strategy is just to do our best, stay in the top 10, and see what we can achieve in these conditions", she added.
With two more fleet races to go, every point will count. The fight for the top 10 and the best possible position for Monday's Medal Series is still wide open