A SUNNY EXCITING DAY IN BREST TODAY FOR THE RS:X EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

For the 4th day of racing, the dream combination of sunshine and wind delighted the competitors. With 10 to 12 knots, the race committee treated the fleets with three races.

 

The competitors sailed under the watchful eye of Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Federation of Sailing and strong advocate for the RS:X class as an Olympic class, who declared: “It is important to celebrate the return and sustainability of windsurfing in the Olympic world. Windsurf is essential to sailing as a sport. Now, we must find the right racing formula for competitors and audiences alike. Visually, the class is very attractive but the events have to be understood by a large audience. I hope that this very symbolic championship, held in legendary Brest and organised by the local sailing club, les Crocodiles de l’Elorn is the very first step to the French windsurfing come back.”

RS:X Men

In the RS:X Open windsurfing championship, it was a game of musical chairs in the top 10 with Taehoon Lee from Korea losing his qualification for the medal races to Kiran Badloe from Netherlands.  Byron Kokkalanis from Greece will be in pole position tomorrow with 37 points closely followed by Shahar Zubari from Israël tied with Frenchman Pierre Le Coq with 40 points. Three U21 qualified in that group including Louis Giard who is 11 points ahead from his closest competitor.

In the European RSX windsurfing championship, the order remains exactly the same with a challenge for Kokkalanis who has a short 2-point advantage and Zubari and Le Coq tied.  

RS:X Women

In the RS:X Open windsurfing championship, France’s Charline Picon and the Brest waters have a great history together as she has won her French title here in 2012 as well as her European Vice-Champion title in 2008. Winning the first two races today, Picon was on a winning spree but too early on the black flag in the last race, she enters the medal races in 4th place and 7 points from the lead. This benefits Britain’s Bryony Shaw who takes the lead, followed by New-Zealand Natalia Kosinska who’s been having a fantastic week here in Brest. Spanish Blanca Manchon climbs back up on the podium.

There will be no love lost on the water tomorrow! 

In the European RSX windsurfing championship, podium for the title is in that order: 1-Bryony Shaw, 2-Charline Picon, 3-Blanca Manchon.

RS:X Youth Boys

Same podium two days running, will tomorrow bring change? Argentina’s Bautista Saudibet-Brikner consolidates his lead with 40 points when second-placed Poland’s Radoslaw Furmanski counts 52 and Chun Ting Lee 61. Artion Avadav from Bielorussia, France’s Clément Bourgeois and Adrien Mestre, all competing for the Under 17 also make it to medal race day showing a Youth class filled with enthusiasm and drive. 

RS:X Youth Girls

It’s a very fierce battle that the girls are fighting as first and second are only 2 points apart and third and fourth are 1 point apart. Britain’s Noelle Finch is holding tight to keep Israel’s Hadar Heller at bay. British sisters Saskia and Imogen Sills will be keen to prove to each other who’s the boss when local sailor Lucie Belbeoch also qualifies for tomorrow’s races.

RS:One

With one more race tomorrow, the RS:One enjoyed their three races today. The 30 participants (10 women and 20 men) are mostly French. The two leaders in each category both have a 15 and 16-point lead so shouldn’t be threatened.