Croatians Take Three Out Of Four Mediterranean Games Golds

Croatian sailors dominated proceedings at the Mediterranean Games in Mersin, Turkey as they took three gold medals and a silver across the four classes represented in the Continental Championship.

Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) and Tina Mihelic (CRO) went into the final day of racing with the hard work already done and had a strong lead that they could not lose in the final race.

With the pressure off Mihelic breezed to a final race victory to finish 13 points ahead of Alicia Cebrian (ESP) and Nazli Cagla Donertas (TUR). The pair were tied on 35 points but Cebrian had four race wins to her name whilst the Turkish sailor only had one meaning the silver went to Spain. Donertas’ bronze was the only sailing medal picked up by the host nation.

The battle throughout the week in the Laser was between Stipanovic and France’s Jean Baptiste Bernaz. The Frenchman was consistent in his scoring throughout the week but ultimately six race wins out of 11 races was enough for Stipanovic to take the honours seven points ahead of Bernaz. Spain’s Jesus Rogel Sanchez rounded off the podium.

The Men’s 470 was a different story with any one of the top four able to take gold.

In a tactically demanding race Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO), Panagiotis Matis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE), Francesco Falcetelli and Enrico Clementi (ITA) and Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion (FRA) all jostled for the medals.

Whilst the Italians won the race to take bronze, Fantela and Marenic had done the math and with three race wins already under their belt they kept close to Mantis and Kagialis and finished just one place behind them. Although they finished equal on 34 points the gold went the way of the Croatians.

“Half of the race we were ahead of the Greeks, we controlled the situation, but at one point we split up,” said Fantela. “Mantis and Kagialis we were able to get in and attack us and other Greek crew, and we had to be careful and the French and Italians, who are also able to gold. In all of these combinations we stayed cool, kept one place behind the main opponent, we know that brings gold. It was tense, but can do something different when we are concerned?”

In the Women’s 470 French duo Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron took gold. Croatia’s Enia Nincevic and Romana Zupan won silver whilst Italians Francesca Komatar and Sveva Carraro won bronze.

“We are thrilled, one of our best results so far,” said Nincevic, “hopefully just the first medal at this level, there’s still a lot of hard work to get into the top 470 women’s fleet, but these results have motivated us to move on and nothing is too difficult.”

Results

Men’s 470
1. Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) – 34pts
2. Panagiotis Matis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) – 34pts
3. Francesco Falcetelli and Enrico Clementi (ITA) – 35pts

Women’s 470
1. Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron (FRA) – 20pts
2. Enia Nincevic and Romana Zupan (CRO) – 29pts
3. Francesca Komatar and Sveva Carraro (ITA) – 34pts

Laser
1. Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) – 20pts
2. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) – 27pts
3. Jesus Rogel Sanchez (ESP) – 51pts

Laser Radial
1. Tina Mihelic (CRO) – 22pts
2. Alicia Cebrian (ESP) – 35pts
3. Nazli Cagla Donertas (TUR) – 35pts

Highlights from the final day of sailing in the Olympic events at Kieler-Woche

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