The iQFoil Youth & Junior European Championships on Lake Garda entered its fifth day of racing with exhilarating action and a highly anticipated marathon event. The day started off with an early start, as participants & coaches gathered for the coach meeting at 6:30 am, getting ready of an intense day of competition.
The marathon kicked off the day with a 1 hour race around Lake Garda. In the under-19 category, a rabbit start, where windsurfers start behind a boat traveling at full speed, set the tone for an exciting race. For safety reasons, the under-17 fleet began with a conventional starting line. The marathon, a one-hour race that counts double, proved crucial as competitors jockeyed for advantageous positions before the upcoming medal series tomorrow.
In the U19 men's fleet, Harry Joyner from Australia emerged victorious in the marathon. Italian Jacopo Gavioli secured a close second place, while Polish windsurfer Trepczynski Stanislaw held the lead for a significant portion of the race but slipped to third due to a small mistake at the final top mark. In the U19 women's fleet, Kristyna Pinosova from the Czech Republic claimed victory, followed closely by Emma Viktoria Millend from Estonia in second place. Carola Colasanto, the leader in the ranking, secured a respectable third-place finish.
The U17 boys' fleet witnessed an impressive performance by French contender Kylian Manhaval, who emerged triumphant in the marathon. Polish athlete Maciej Dąbek showcased remarkable skills, securing second place, while Peleg Rajuan from Israel rounded off the top three. In the U17 girls' category, Italian windsurfer Francesca Maria Salerno reigned supreme in the marathon, skillfully navigating the course.
Spanish Caterina Tomas Cardell finished closely behind in second place, with Turkish Ada Tan securing a commendable third-place finish.
Following the marathon event, two more races were held in the slalom discipline. As the day came to a close, the focus shifted to the anticipated medal series scheduled for tomorrow. Only the top 10 athletes in each category will have the opportunity to compete in the all-or-nothing elimination race, where they get to fight for the coveted medals.
Tomorrow we will begin with a quarter-final race, where athletes ranked from fourth to tenth will compete for the top two spots, earning them a place in the semi-finals. In the semi-final, the second and third-ranked athletes will battle against the two qualifying athletes from the previous round. From the semi-final, the best two athletes will advance to the final and challenge the number one ranked competitor for the European Title
With the current rankings, Harry Joyner (U19 Men), Carola Colasanto (U19 Women), Kylian Manhaval (U17 Boys), and Caterina Tomas Cardell (U17 Girls) have secured a medal position and have automatically advanced to the final. The top 10 rankings in each category are as follows:
U19 Men:
1st AUS 22 - Harry JOYNER
2nd ITA 286 - Federico Alan PILLONI
3rd ITA 345 - Jacopo GAVIOLI
4th POL 777 - Trepczynski STANISLAW
5th POL 30 - Igor LEWINSKI
6th GBR 319 - Boris SHAW
7th POL 107 - Maciek PIETRZAK
8th ITA 155 - Leonardo TOMASINI
9th LAT 29 - Davis MAZAIS
10th SWE 28 - Vidar NYSTRÖM
U19 Women:
1st ITA 239 - Carola COLASANTO
2nd CZE 289 - Kristyna PINOSOVA
3rd NOR 21 - Maya GYSLER
4th ISR 369 - Danielle ZIV
5th EST 127 - Emma Viktoria MILLEND
6th POL 122 - Aleksandra WASIEWICZ
7th CZE 80 - Nela SADÍLKOVÁ
6th ITA 4 - Linda OPRANDI
9th GBR 309 - Darcey SHAW
10th FIN 402 - Sofia HÄMÄLÄINEN
U17 Boys:
1st FRA 1908 - Kylian MANHAVAL
2nd ISR 851 - Peleg RAJUAN
3rd TUR 2008 - Artun ŞENOL
4th POL 242 - Jakub GUŹLECKI
5th POL 2115 - Gustaw TRYBEK
6th FRA 261 - Hoël QUINTRIC
7th ESP 334 - Jorge RUIZ LOPEZ
8th ISR 230 - Kfir GEFEN
9th ESP 480 - Antonio MEDINA RODRIGUEZ
10th ISR 203 - Itamar LEVI
U17 Girls:
1st ESP 340 - Caterina TOMAS CARDELL
2nd ITA 57 - Medea FALCIONI
3rd ISR 100 - Maya BAREL
4th TUR 4108 - Ada TAN
5th POL 71 - Maria RUDOWICZ
6th ITA 9 - Francesca Maria SALERNO
7th ISR 896 - Noa RAJUAN
8th HUN 70 - Hanna SIMON
9th FRA 475 - Juliette NAPOLÉONE
10th ISR 205 - Alba KLEIN MEGHNAGI