Two French golds and one for Israel on final day in Lanzarote

Day 8 of competition, three more gold medals awarded, and the 2023 edition of Lanzarote International Regatta is complete.

The Israeli squad have dominated the iQFOiL women’s racing all week. Tricky breeze on the race course meant the medal series couldn’t go ahead. So Israel took all three spots on the podium, with Shahar Tibi (ISR) on the top step. In second and third respectively were Sharon Kantor (ISR) and Maya Morris (ISR).

“I would liked to have done more racing today but our format means we didn’t complete enough races to run a medal series,” said Tibi. “Anyway, I am very happy to win, and it’s a great result to see Israel take all the spots on the podium. We have been working very hard as a squad, back home and here in Lanzarote.

This place provides perfect conditions, all kinds of waves, some waves that I don’t think you can find anywhere else in the world. Nearly every day is sailable and we have had a good time training and racing here.”

 

iQFOiL Men: Mestre makes a late charge for gold
It proved to be a much more dramatic and unexpected outcome in the men’s iQFOiL fleet. Sam Sills (GBR) had won the leader’s yellow bib since day one, but the winner-takes-all format of racing favoured by the iQFOiL often throws up surprise victories at the end of competition. Sills fractionally misjudged his approach to the start while France’s Adrien Mestre (FRA) was fast out of the gate and went on to snatch the gold medal.

“It's an amazing feeling,” smiled Mestre, who had climbed from fourth place at the start of the day. “We have this final format where the winner takes all, so I knew I had a chance. I told myself, ‘don’t think, just be yourself, and go.’ I’m really happy that it happened for me. It's an amazing feeling.” Having already been here a month, Mestre is staying on a while longer. “I want to train here in Lanzarote before the other races begin in Europe.”

Luuc Van Opzeeland (NED) took second place while Sills, who had reigned supreme all week, had to be satisfied with third.

 

Nacra 17: French beat Argentina and New Zealand
Billy Besson & Noa Ancian (FRA) won Nacra 17 gold with Argentina and New Zealand taking silver and bronze. “That was my first medal race in my career,” said Ancian, sailing with the vastly experienced Besson. “To win gold here today feels amazing. We’ve been here training for two months and it’s a great way to finish our time in Lanzarote.”

It was a close battle for second overall, eventually won by Mateo Majdalani & Eugenia Bosco (ARG) who beat Micah Wilkinson & Erica Dawson (NZL) by a single point.

This evening the winners stood on the podium in Marina Rubicón as the sun set over the Canary Islands. Tomorrow some will fly home, others will rest up or even carry on with the training programme in these ever-challenging waters.

And so ends eight days of dramatic competition which delivered all forms of waves and weather. It’s why even more of the world’s best Olympic sailors will be back in 2024 for Lanzarote International Regatta.

This international event, organised by Marina Rubicón with the support of the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation is possible thanks to the institutional sponsorship of Promotur Turismo de Canarias with the financing of the REACTEU Fund and Tourism of the Cabildo de Lanzarote through the sports product European Sports Destination (managed by SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote), as well as the public collaboration of the Yaiza City Council and the private entities Dinghycoach, Naviera Armas & Cabrera Medina (Cicar).


Andy Rice, event reporter

 

OVERALL STANDINGS
 

Nacra 17 (after 8 races)

1. Besson/Ancian (FRA), 17 points
2. Majdalani/ Bosco (ARG), 33 points
3. Wilkinson/ Dawson (NZL), 34 points

 

iQFOiL Women (after 7 races)

1. Tibi (ISR), 23 points
2. Kantor (ISR), 23 points
3. Morris (ISR), 45 points

 

iQFOiL Men (after 9 races)

1. Adrien Mestre (FRA), 44 points
2. Luuc Van Opzeeland (NED), 47 points
3. Sam Sills (GBR), 12 points

Keeping the pressure up

Luuc van Opzeeland and Emma Wilson continue to lead iQFOiL World Championships in Lanzarote for the third day in a row. Tomorrow will see a marathon and more Course Racing starting at 10:00 local time.

Day 1 draws a blank at the 2024 iQFOiL World Championships

The 212 Olympic windsurfers who have gathered in Lanzarote for the 2024 iQFOiL World Championships will have to wait until Tuesday for the first races. There was insufficient wind on Day 1 and the opening races are now programmed for tomorrow, starting at 11:00 island time.

The fight for the iQFOiL world title starts tomorrow in Lanzarote

On the beautiful Canary Island of Lanzarote everything is ready for Monday’s start of the iQFOiL World Championships, the first major world championship of an Olympic class to be held in Europe in this 2024 Olympics season. More than 200 athletes from 43 countries on five continents will compete over six days of competition culminating in the title deciding Grand Final on Saturday, February 3 followed by the prize-giving

Olympic sailing classes choose Lanzarote

Lanzarote is getting ready to usher in the Olympic sailing season ahead of what promises to be an exciting, challenging year. Ahead of Paris 2024 nearly half of the Olympic sailing World Championships have chosen Marina Rubicón as their venue.

The wind was there, but it wouldn’t play ball

The sunshine was out and the northerly breeze was blowing, but the direction was all over the place on day seven of the Lanzarote International Regatta. Sailors have come from around the world to train and race out of Marina Rubicón in the south of Lanzarote, but even the most reliable of sailing venues has its ‘off days’

Kiwis lead Nacra 17s, Kantor & Sills top iQFOiL

Tuesday was the start of part 2 of the Lanzarote International Regatta. After two days of the dusty Calima breeze from the Sahara, today the sunshine returned to the Canary Islands, and 10 to 14 knots of wind were blowing for the opening day of Nacra 17 and iQFOiL racing

Two British skiff golds and a Spanish 1-2 in the 470

Winds of 13 to 19 knots for three Medal Races in poor ‘Calima’ visibility. Last gasp victory for Xammar & Brugman in the 470 Victory for Great Britain in men’s and women’s skiff fleets. Four days of Nacra 17 & iQFOiL windsurfer competition start on Tuesday.

Not the Wind, not the Waves, but the Sahara!

Anton Dahlberg & Lovisa Karlsson (SWE) extended their lead in the 470 after winning another big wave, big wind race on day three of the Lanzarote International Regatta. It proved to be the only race of the day, with no competition for the 49er or 49erFX fleets.

“Defo the Biggest Wave of My Life!”

Big wind and huge, steep swell set a massive physical challenge for the three Olympic fleets on day two of the Lanzarote International Regatta in the Canary Islands.

Lanzarote ready to test top Olympians

More than 360 of the world’s best sailors are ready to compete at the Lanzarote International Regatta, which takes place in the south of the Canary Island from 9 to 17 February

Main Sponsors

Cabildo de Lanzarote
Lanzarote Reserva de la Biosfera
Turismo Lanzarote
Turismo Lanzarote
Unión Europea - Fondos Next Generation
Ministerio de Industria y Turismo
Plan de Recuperación y Resilencia
Islas Canarias - Calidad de Vida
Gobierno de Canarias
Marina Rubicón

Organizers

Marina Rubicón
Real Federación Canaria de Vela
DinghyCoach
iQFOiL Class

Collaborators

Ayuntamiento de Yaiza
Federación de Vela Latina Canaria
Federación Insular de Vela Latina Lanzarote
Federación Canaria de Barquillos
World Sailing
Trasmediterránea
Naviera Armas
Club de Regatas 4 Vientos
Cicar
Coca Cola