The Official
Website of the
International
Sailing Federation

Light and variable winds on the first racing day caused problems for the Race Committee, and the tricky conditions of the shifty scirocco on the first race on Saturday, with some parking ups on the course, put good tactics at a premium. With four races on the second day and three on Sunday, the organizer satisfied the 257 crews from 14 nations which chose Izola for their Easter sailing.

ZBOGAR Lives Up To Expectations

As expected, Olympic bronze medallist and number four in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings ZBOGAR dominated in the Laser, followed by Daniel MIHELIC (CRO) and Kemal MUSLUBAS (TUR).

The Croatian pair of Matea PETRONIJEVIC and Tina MIHELIC took the highest steps on the podium in the Laser Radial competition, with a bullet in the final race seeing PETRONIJEVIC beat her team mate to gold. Russia's Natalia IVANOVA completed the top three. he most crowded fleet was the Men's Radial, with 72 participants. Timofey ZHBANKOV (RUS) won the last race to overtake Johanes GLITZKY (GER), fifth in the same race, by three points and top the podium. The local hero, Nik PLETIKOS (SLO) took the third.

42 young sailors in the Laser 4.7 made some nervous starts, resulting in a scattering of BFD's across the leaderboard. Croatians dominated in the fleet, taking the first four places, led by Alberto ZAHTILA, Filip KLENJAK and Marko PERESA.

Russians Impress In 470

Amongst the 470s, Russian World number eight crew Dmitry BEREZKIN with Alexander ZYBIN took rose above the local duel between Karlo HMELJAK and Luka VERZEL (SLO) and Tomaz COPI and Aljaz JADEK (SLO), both helmsmen who have changed crew recently, and won the series by a comfortable margin.

There was however home success in the Women's 470, with Teja CERNE and Alja CERNE (SLO) taking the gold medal ahead of Juliane WOLF and Claudia WOLF (GER) and Marie STEINTHALER and Nora STEINTHALER (AUT).

In the 420, the women's crew of Kata VARADI and Juliana VARADI (HUN) dominated and left their fellow Hungarians Robert BAKOCZY and Kristof JOO on the second step of the podium, with Austria's David BARGEHR and Lukas LINHART in third.