ISAF : LUTZ Becomes First Female Champion In Nine Years

Tina LUTZ (GER) from the Chiemsee Yacht Club in Bavaria, Germany, is the 2005 International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) World champion. The 14 year old is only the third girl to win the Championship in its 43 year history and the first since Lisa WESTERHOF (NED) in 1996.

Last year in the very different conditions of Salinas, Ecuador she finished twelfth overall and first girl.

Today the race officer made four attempts to start race twelve but big shifts in the northerly wind caused him to abandon and at midday all further racing was cancelled.

Silver medallist Matthew SCOTT of Trinidad has an astonishing history. With no family background in sailing he went on a basic training course in September 2003 and qualified from a home fleet of less than 20 sailors for the 2004 Worlds. There, to the astonishment of all, he took seventh place. This year he has proved that that was no fluke.

Reigning championship Wei NI of China suffered two DSQs and could finish no better than 21st, but his compatriot Jianan WU showed the growing strength of Chinese sailing to take bronze.

Second girl was Daniela ZIMMERMANN (PER) in eighth place overall and the girls' bronze went to Karin ALKSTEDT (SWE).

Top Ten Results

Pos	Nation	Helm	Group	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	Pts
1	GER	Tina LUTZ	Green	10	2	1	7	2	3	2	(15)	1	(11)	2	30
2	TRI	Matthew SCOTT	Blue	4	12	3	4	3	3	(82)	3	7	(31)	5	44
3	CHN	Jianan WU	Yellow	2	8	2	21	1	1	10	3	(59)	(82)	12	60
4	GER	Philipp AUTENRIETH	White	14	15	3	2	(23)	4	(27)	10	10	1	2	61
5	SWE	Nicklas DACKHAMMER	Blue	3	5	8	17	(46)	2	7	14	(20)	4	1	61
6	ESP	Jorge Martinez DORESTE	Red	(34)	4	2	4	22	1	1	24	16	7	(47)	81
7	GER	Julian AUTENRIETH	Pink	7	9	12	(32)	10	12	2	(31)	15	7	10	84
8	PER	Daniela ZIMMERMANN	White	11	4	8	1	8	(59)	(36)	6	7	10	31	86
9	SLO	Jakob BOZIC	Blue	16	(33)	12	3	13	8	6	15	(45)	3	15	91
10	BER	Sean BOUCHARD	Pink	21	2	26	12	7	5	17	2	4	(34)	(50)	96