Federico Alan Pilloni, a new athlete whose acceptance onto the Young Azzurra programme was announced last week, has put in an outstanding performance in Cadiz during the IQFoil Games, claiming third place overall and victory in the Under 21 category.

Racing at the IQFoil Games in Cadiz concluded on 11 March and saw Federico face a highly competitive fleet consisting of 30 athletes from all over the world. After consistent performances over the first few days of qualifications, Federico was able to proceed first to the quarter-final and then to the knockout semi-final, which he won. In the final round, the American Noah Lyos triumphed, leaving Federico with a third place overall and a win in the Under 21 group.

An excellent result for the athlete representing the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, who at just 16 years of age has clinched his first podium place among the seniors.

"I'm really happy because I got my first podium place among the seniors and won the U21 in a race where I was able to stay focused and control the emotion of racing alongside the best athletes in the world. The semi-final was key, everyone was fighting hard, but I was able to catch the right wind shifts and I won the race. Next stop is the Princesa Sofia Trophy in Palma where the competition will be even tougher and with bigger numbers, I will continue training to get there as well prepared as possible." commented Federico.

The next event for Federico Pilloni will be the Princesa Sofia Trophy, taking place from 31 March to 8 April in Spain.