July 24, 2002
1 minute reading time
Papathanasiou (GRE) Leading in His Home Water
Ninety-three sailors from thirty nations and five continents, including all but one of the world's top twenty-five, took to the Saronic Gulf today for the first day of the 2002 Finn Gold Cup.
Ninety-three sailors from thirty nations and five continents, including all but one of the world’s top twenty-five, took to the Saronic Gulf today for the first day of the 2002 Finn Gold Cup.
The event, hosted by the Olympiakos Yacht Club, Piraeus, Greece, is an important event for the sailors as not only is the world championship title up for grabs but it also allows the top nine finishing nations to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The two times Olympian Emilios Papathanasiou (GRE) got off to a good start in his home waters, winning both of the races sailed today to take an early overall lead.
Fresh from success after winning the gold medal at the Finn Europeans, Ben Ainslie (GBR) started well in the championships, scoring a sixth place in the first race of the day, which he followed up with a second, finishing just behind Papathanasiou, putting him in second place overall. The number three world ranked Karlo Kuret (CRO), who has attended three Olympics and is yet to win a medal, is in third place overall.
Results
| Position | Name | Sail No. | Race 1 | Race 2 | Total Points |
| 1 | Papathanasiou Emilios | GRE 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Ben Ainslie | GBR 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Karlo Kuret | CRO 11 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| 4 | Charlie Cumbley | GBR 15 | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Jaap Zichlhuis | NED 785 | 4 | 13 | 17 |
| 6 | Guillaume Florent | FRA 73 | 2 | 16 | 18 |
| 7 | Sebastien Godefroid | BEL 7 | 3 | 20 | 23 |
| 8 | Anthony Nossiter | AUS 221 | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| 9 | Rafael Trujizo Villar | ESP 100 | 21 | 6 | 27 |
| 10 | Marin Mizura (J) | CRO 25 | 20 | 8 | 28 |