Magic Marine Optimist European Championships - Overall
by Karenza Morton 23 Jul 2015 23:12 BST
18-23 July 2015
The USA's Thomas Rice has won the Open Boys Championship crown and Greece's Aimilianos Monos is the new Boys European Optimist Champion as the 2015 Magic Marine Optimist European Championship came to a close at the Plas Heli Welsh National Sailing Academy, Pwllheli today (Thursday 23 July).
Last night Spain's Julia Minana wrapped up the Girls Open and European titles with a race to spare. Rice, who went into today with a 19-point lead over his nearest challenger Wonn Kye Lee (SIN), sailed his highest score of the event, which he discarded, in a tactical race to comfortably top the Boys rankings while Monos leapfrogged overnight European leader Matej Planinsic (SLO) to finish third overall and top European.
Monos said: "I am very happy because I am first at the Europeans and I don't know what to say! Today in the race I was very proud of myself but at the finish I was the happiest. My coach told me I was in the first place and then I jumped in the water!
Rice said: "The plan today was just to stay near the Singaporean, not affect his racing, but as I had such a point lead he would have to finish 17 boats ahead of me for anything to happen. So I started next to him, we sailed together, I let him decide what we wanted to do, we ended up at the top mark near the back and after that I knew I'd won so I just sailed the rest of the race."
Minana, who finished fifth at last year's Europeans, said: "It's been a very hard week and the improvement of being fifth to first has been really, really good for me. The first day was really good because it is the wind I am normally managing in Spain and I had a very good start with a first, second and fourth. The next step for me is in the 420 and I expect to be the same, if not even better than in Optimists!"
Planinsic claimed European silver while a seventh place for Italy's Cesare Barabino saw him force his way into the European top three on a day when a number of the leading boats struggled in the lighter winds.
Three European girls occupied the top three Open places as a fourth for Greece's Ariadni Spanaki in today's sole race secured her second place while a strong final series for Malta's Victoria Schultheis resulted in her clinching bronze. This is the first time Malta has ever won an Optimist Worlds or Europeans medal.
Schultheis said: "I was aiming for a medal so am very happy. The last two days were more my weather because I'm not so heavy. I just tried sailing my best today because I had nothing to lose. I had to be careful on the start line because I already had a Black Flag Disqualification but otherwise I took some risks."
Both the Boys and Girls silver fleets also successfully completed their 10-race series. Britain's Hannah Roberts-Straw claimed the top Silver prize, while Japan's Ryunosuke Sugasawa finished top Silver Boy and Konstantinos Geroudis (GRE) top Bronze Boy.
With this event also acting as the qualifying event for next year's Optimist Team Racing Europeans in Ledro, Italy, in finishing as the top three European nations Spain, Greece and Britain booked their places at next year's finals. At the prizegiving, Britain's Hattie Rogers handed over the event flag to Italy who will now host the 2016 Optimist European Championships in Crotone next July.
Carla Stanley, IODA Vice President Europe, said: "It has been fantastic to get the full series of 10 races in for all sailors. Pwllheli delivered. There have been a variety of conditions with three races a day. To win this regatta you had to be able to sail in the full range. It has tested the physical and mental stamina of all the sailors and anyone who has completed the series cannot say they failed, whatever their results."
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