Mallorcan Marta Cardona takes the lead in the 470 Mixed at the French Olympic Week

Strong winds mark the start of the finals. Six Spanish crews are in the Top 10 across five classes.

The French Olympic Week has entered its decisive phase with the third day of racing and the first day of finals in Hyères, marked by strong wind conditions that have raised the level of difficulty across all race courses and caused multiple capsizes. Spain still has six teams in Top 10 positions, with Marta Cardona from Mallorca, representing Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Jordi Xammar leading the way in the 470 Mixed.

World champions Marta Cardona, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Jordi Xammar (RCN Barcelona) delivered a flawless performance in the 470 Mixed gold fleet, where the top 19 teams compete after the qualifying phase. The Spanish crew dominated the day with three consecutive race wins, a perfect score that puts them at the top of the overall standings with a four-point lead over their closest rivals, European champions Martin Wringley and Bettina Harris.

“It was a perfect day for us. The conditions were very windy with big waves, just the kind we like, where we enjoy ourselves and feel very strong, and that’s exactly how it turned out,” said Catalan sailor Jordi Xammar. “We tried to keep things simple, letting the race unfold and gradually sailing well so that would carry us into the leading positions. It was also a day to take risks by pushing the boat hard, and that’s what we did. It may look very easy, but the truth is that getting three first places in Hyères in a gold fleet with 19 boats of such a high level is very difficult, so it’s definitely a day to be very happy about.”

Meanwhile, Silvia Mas, also from CNA, and Alejandro “Tano” de Maqua (CN El Balís) posted race results of 8-10-(11), which dropped them four places in the overall standings, leaving them in provisional 10th place in this class.

In the silver fleet, Paula Laiseca (RCN Gran Canaria) and Niklas Haberl are 13th and 32nd overall.

In the 49er, also on the first day of finals, the gold fleet is made up of 20 crews. Martín and Jaime Wizner (RCN Vigo) remain in the provisional Top 10, in ninth place, after posting results of 9-9-DNC in a very demanding day. Meanwhile, Pol and Àlex Marsans (CN Arenys de Mar), from the RFEV 2032 program, are sailing in the silver fleet and sit in 30th place after scoring a 14th and a 9th.

The only class competing without a gold and silver fleet split is the women’s skiff, the 49er FX. The Galician-Mallorcan crew made up of Patricia Suárez (RCN Vigo) and Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, continue their upward progression and climb one place to eighth overall after two more races (4-10).

In men’s iQFOiL, the fleet completed five course-racing events. Spain’s Paris 2024 representative Nacho Baltasar, from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, remains in 10th place, while Bernat Tomàs, from CNA, is 15th after dropping three places in another tough day for Olympic foiling windsurfing.

In the women’s category, the only Spanish sailor competing is Andrea Torres, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, who is racing in the silver fleet.

Spain also posted a strong result in ILCA 7, the largest fleet of the 57th French Olympic Week, with a total of 136 boats. Forty-five sailors make up the gold fleet, including three Spanish representatives. The only one from the RFEV pre-Olympic team is Javier Seguí, from Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença, who had an excellent day yesterday. The Mallorcan sailor moved up 16 places and now sits in provisional 10th after posting race results of 11-8.

Mallorcan sailor Marc O’Connor, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Andalusian Roberto Aguilar (RCN Benalmádena) round out the gold fleet in 44th and 45th place respectively.

In ILCA 6, the only Spanish representative is Marga Perelló, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, who is 13th in the silver fleet and 58th overall.

Finally, in the mixed Nacra 17 catamaran, both Spanish crews are competing in the silver fleet. Joan Cardona, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Nicole van der Velden are fourth in that fleet and 22nd overall, while the 2032 team pairing of Dani and Nora de la Casa (CN El Masnou) are sixth in their group and 24th overall.

The competition continues today, Thursday, April 23rd, with the fourth day of racing in the waters off Hyères, where positions will continue to take shape ahead of Saturday’s Medal Races, the final day of the second event of the year on the Sailing Grand Slam circuit.

The activity of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and its national teams, including the pre-Olympic team and the 2032 team, is made possible thanks to the support of a strong ecosystem of institutions and companies committed to sailing, the sport that has brought Spain the most Olympic gold medals.

The RFEV is sponsored by Iberdrola, Quirónprevención, and Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. Its institutional sponsors are the Higher Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and Universo Mujer, together with the Port Authority of Santander and the Government of Cantabria (through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Deporte Cantabria, and the Regional Society of Culture and Sport). Its official suppliers are Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool, and Enovis, and its institutional partners are ADESP and World Sailing.