2024 29er European Championships at Gdynia, Poland - Day 1
by International 29er Class 4 Jul 2024 16:35 BST
1-8 July 2024
2024 29er European Championships at Gdynia, Poland Day 1 © International 29er Class
Spanish sisters Paula and Isabel Laiseca lead among the girls, Poles Ewa Lewandowska and Krzysztof Królik top the mixed crews, and French sailors Nolann Huet Des Aunay and Titouan Gresset are ahead in the boys' category after the first day of the 29er European Championships taking place in Gdynia.
A total of 138 crews from 25 countries are competing in the regatta, divided into four fleets. The first day of the championships was marked by tricky conditions, both in terms of wind strength and direction, but despite this, three races were successfully held in each group.
All the crews are very skilled, so the competition is intense. The wind was quite unpredictable today, constantly shifting direction and speed, making conditions challenging. However, we managed to finish in the top 5 in every race, even winning the first one, so we are very pleased. In Gdynia, the key is to 'read' the wind well," said Ewa Lewandowska, who became the youth world champion in Buzios, Brazil, in December 2023.
On Wednesday, Nolann Huet Des Aunay and Titouan Gresset performed best, winning three races. Italians Alex Demurtas and Giovanni Santi, along with Dutch sailors Beerdluuk Spijkervet and Thomas Reyers, who lead the U-17 category, each won two races.
In the girls' U-17 category, Adele Huebner and Katharina Fricke hold the top position. "Yesterday's practice race went very poorly for us, we made several bad decisions and couldn't secure a good position. Fortunately, today was much better, and we are especially happy with the last race, which we finished second," commented the German sailors.
In the mixed U-17 crews, Czechs Karolina Lojkova and Petr Pelnar are in the lead.
The qualifying rounds will continue until Friday, with the finals starting on Saturday and the winners announced on Monday. Medals will be awarded in the boys', girls', and mixed crews categories without age limits, as well as in the same categories for U-17.
Find out more at 29ereuropeans.org