Set on the stunning crystal clear Red Sea waters of Eilat, Israel is the 2016 RS:X WORLD WINDSURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS, a key event in the final countdown to Rio. Yesterday’s day off gave the athletes some time to recover from the physical demands of racing but it was game on again today.
The under 21 competitors were fighting for the chance to test their performance against some of the world’s top windsurfers, with only 10 boys and 8 girls, having the chance to compete against Olympic Medalists and World Champions in the gold fleet.
The day started with a bang, followed by some intensely close racing. In the women’s fleet there was a jostle for position amongst those currently in podium places. Ultimately, it was Lilian de Geus who found the right lanes of pressure on the course and achieved the best performance of the day, climbing into second place. Malgorzata Bialecka was still leading the fleet but with the likes of Marina Alabau, Bryony Shaw and Charline Picon nipping at her heels –it’ll be tight to the very end.
In the RSX Men, Piotr Myszka pushed himself and his board to the limit, digging deep to find every nuance of speed. His hard work was rewarded as he moved into first place with Louis Giard in second and Shahar Zubari following in third.
Windsurfers from 9th to 12th position will have to fight hard for a ticket to the medal race as they have only 4 points between them and just one day of qualifier racing remaining. The current World Champion Pierre le Coq lies in 10th place, clearly proving the high level of competition here.
Tomorrow, competitors will face the last chance to advance through to the medal race, so it’s an all or nothing day, close and intense. Who will hold their nerve to make the cut? Tune in to find out.
You can find the results here: https://rsxclass.com/worlds2016/?page_id=188
Event website: https://rsxclass.com/worlds2016/
Videos: https://rsxclass.com/media/videos/?album=4283
Photos: https://rsxclass.com/media/pictures/?album=4272
Text: Icarus Sailing Media
Photo: RS:X Class
