The Techno293 European Championships have concluded in Sopot, Poland with 12 races sailed by gold fleets. 335 young windsurfers from 25 countries competed in the event making it a great show both on and off water. [more]
In the U17 girls fleet it was Giorgia Speciale from Italy who won the gold, but not without a fight from Shira Benbenisti from Israel. Third was local sailor, Lidia Sulikowska. It wasn’t Giorgia’s first title in Sopot. Back in 2013, when Sopot hosted the Techno 293 Worlds, Giorgia won the U15 girls fleet, now she came back for more.
“My victory was decided in the final race of the regatta. Right from the beginning up to today I was second. After the first race of today we were tied with Shira. In the last race of the championship I managed to finish ahead of her and I won. Last year I won the Europeans in Liepaja and this year I was determined to do it again,” Giorgia said after the races.
In the U17 boys Itai Kafri from Israel finished first ahead of Fabien Pianazza from France and his teammate Gad Matosevich. The French sailors Elisa Jariel and Mathilde Garandeau took the top places in the U15 girls fleet with Sharon Kantor from Israel in third. Edoardo Tanas from Italy is the new European champion of the U15 boys. Eyala Zror from Israel came in second and Mathis Ghio from France third.
The championships were a first in a new role for local windsurfing legend Przemyslaw Miarczynski. Przemyslaw, who has regularly won medals in Olympic windsurfing including bronze in the London Olympic Games, has just started working as a coach with the youth team. “I’m just starting to work with our youth sailors, but from what I see most of them prefer stronger wind conditions than we had during the week. Nevertheless a regatta at such a high level is always a valuable experience. The next time we will have an opportunity like this will be at the Worlds in October.”
