iQFoil Youth & Junior European Championships at Circolo Surf Torbole - Day 4
by Elena Giolai 6 Jul 2023 02:50 PDT
1-8 July 2023
The iQFoil European Youth & Junior Championship, taking place in Torbole, Garda Trentino, until Saturday, July 8, is progressing smoothly under the organization of Circolo Surf Torbole, the International iQFoil Class, and the Italian Sailing Federation, along with their dedicated race officials.
- The day was dedicated to course racing, with 4 or 5 races depending on the categories
- Italian competitors continue to dominate in all categories, aiming for the medal series. However, there are still two days of racing remaining to determine the top 10 contenders who will have access to it
Over the past three days, the organizing staff has worked tirelessly to provide the racers with consecutive trials. After Tuesday's slalom trials, today's focus was on course racing, taking advantage of winds above 14 knots. The under-19 men's fleet was divided into two groups, gold and silver, allowing for direct competition among the top contenders. Meanwhile, on the northernmost race course, the under-17s completed the delayed slalom trials from Tuesday, followed by course races. By mid-afternoon, the course faced steep and short waves, accompanied by increasing wind, creating a spectacular but challenging racing environment. The current mid-championship tally reflects the number of races completed, with the under-19 men having participated in 7 course races and 5 slalom races thus far.
In an astonishing turn of events, Italian Federico Alan Pilloni (YCCosta Smeralda - Young Azzurra) and Australian Harry Hubert Joyner remain neck and neck, tied for first place. Pilloni's partial scores include two first-place finishes, a second, a third, and a discarded fifth. On the other hand, Joyner's standings consist of two firsts, a second, a third, and a fourth. Close behind, Jacopo Gavioli from Circolo Surf Torbole sits in third place (2-3-4-5-2). Leonardo Tomasini (Circolo Surf Torbole) holds the position of the third Italian competitor, currently at 12th place and gravitating towards the medal series zone near the top ten. Among the under-19 women, Maya Gysler from Norway claims the lead, closely followed by Italy's Carola Colasanto with a two-point difference. Poland's Wasiewicz secures the third position. Linda Oprandi from Italy currently stands in ninth place. In the under-17 category, Israel's Rajuan leads the rankings, followed by France's Manhaval.
Notably, Circolo Surf Torbole's athlete Mattia Saoncella, despite a disqualification during Tuesday's slalom, rises to third place overall and first in the under-15 division. Among the under-17 girls, Medea Falcioni from Ancona (SEF Stamura) dominates the rankings, even though she is still competing in the under-15 category. Falcioni recently achieved the title of under-13 Techno 293 class world champion in Torbole in April. Spain's Tomas Cardell and Maria Rudowicz take the second and third places, respectively. The ultimate goal for all competitors is to secure a position within the top ten, granting them the opportunity to compete for podium placements in the medal series. However, there are still more races to come, with Thursday and Friday on the schedule, including the potential for a marathon race, which carries double the weight.
U17 Girls:
U17 Blue Boys:
U17 Green Boys:
U19 W: