Day Four of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior World Championships resumed with excellent racing conditions, after yesterday’s forced break for lack of wind. The fleet of 375 sailors from 35 nations returned to the water, facing a strong northeast breeze ranging from as little as 8 to up to 18 knots and a choppy sea, making for an action-packed day of competition. All categories – U19 Women, U17 Women, U19 Men, and U17 Men – completed five Course races, with the U19 Men split now into Gold and Silver fleets.
In the U19 Women’s division, Great Britain’s Darcey Shaw (GBR 309) continued to lead, followed closely by Maya Gysler (NOR 2) in second place and Nela Sadílkova (CZE 80) in third. Reflecting on her performance, Gysler shared, “I had a difficult start as I was dealing with some stomach pain in the morning, so I wasn’t sure how the races would go. But I managed to pull it together and perform, so I’m quite happy”.
The U19 Men’s category saw Italy’s Federico Pilloni (ITA 286) hold on to his top spot with consistency, even though he was given a harder time today by his close competitors, and his streak of bullets ended with today’s first race – only to go back winning in the final one. Igor Lewinski (POL 30) advanced to second place, while Kylian Manhaval (FRA 1908) follows in third. “I am happy I was able to climb the ladder a little and find myself in the second step of the provisional podium, I managed to take two bullets today and they made it for a good day for me. The conditions were very shifty, going from as little as 8 knots to up to 15.. but I liked it, it was challenging”, commented Igor Lewinsky.
In the U17 Women’s fleet, Alba Klein (ISR 205) retained her massive lead with a solid series of performances, while Rüya Uğurlu (TUR 5835) and Julia Przybył (POL 977) sit in second and third positions, respectively. Speaking about her approach, Klein remarked, “I mostly focused on my sailing and doing as best as I could. I didn’t always have the starts I wanted but I then concentrated on going fast and recovering with solid tactics and maneuvering and it paid.”
The U17 Men’s competition remains fierce, with Itamar Levi (ISR 203) leading, followed by Leopold Brisedou (FRA 834) in second and David Aleshko (ISR 688) in third, with Marius Polo (FRA 908) only one point behind in fourth, all demonstrating impressive racing skills in the challenging conditions and setting up a competitive battle at the top of the leaderboard.
Looking ahead, the forecast for tomorrow is uncertain, with heavy rain expected and a general alert issued by the Balearic Island authorities. Racing remains tentative, pending further updates on weather conditions.
With only two days left in the competition, the anticipation is high as the young sailors continue their quest for the 2024 iQFOiL Youth and Junior World Championship titles.