Mallorcan sailor Marta Cardona, winner of the French Olympic Week in 470 Mixed

Melania Henke, from the Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Patricia Suárez narrowly miss out on bronze in Hyères, while Silvia Mas, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Tano de Maqua deliver a strong final day with two second-place finishes.

The pre-Olympic team of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation wrapped up the French Olympic Week, held in the waters off Hyères on France’s southern coast, with victory for Marta Cardona, from CNA, and Jordi Xammar in the 470 Mixed, as well as an outstanding performance by Melania Henke, from RCNP, and Patricia Suárez, who finished fourth in the 49er FX, and by Silvia Mas, also from CNA, and Alejandro de Maqua, who ended the regatta in sixth place after a solid final day.

In the 470 Mixed, Marta Cardona, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Jordi Xammar (RCN Barcelona) confirmed their dominance in Hyères by taking overall victory after posting two fifth-place finishes in the Medal Series, sailed in 15 to 18 knots of wind. The Spanish crew went out on the water focused on managing their accumulated lead intelligently and keeping close control of their main rivals, the British team, in order to secure gold. That strategy allowed them to close out the championship without taking unnecessary risks and to maintain the lead they had held since the third day of competition on the French Mediterranean coast.

With this result, Marta and Jordi consolidate an excellent start to the season, after winning European bronze and following it up with two gold medals in the first and second events of the Sailing Grand Slam: the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels in Palma and the French Olympic Week.

“We knew we had a nine-point advantage and we focused on managing it, always staying close to the British team, which was our target. It was a different kind of day, because you don’t go out trying to win as you would like to, but rather to be smart and know how to manage the situation, which isn’t easy,” said Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Jordi Xammar.

“This week we really did take that step forward we knew we were capable of taking. We had come from not feeling entirely comfortable, and here we managed to fine-tune things, and it showed that when we are on form, we feel very strong compared to the fleet. Even so, we are clear that there is still room for improvement. We have been sailing together for just over a year, and that means that as a team we can still grow a lot. Now we have two months ahead of us in which we will push hard to take another step forward,” added Xammar.

His teammate Marta Cardona, named World Sailing’s best youth sailor in the world, highlighted their strong performance throughout the week: “We have had very varied conditions and we felt more comfortable than at the Sofía and at the Europeans, so we are improving little by little. We take away a positive balance, and now it is time to keep working for the World Championship in August in Japan, with the aim of arriving there with a chance of winning. I have only been in this class for a year and we can improve, but we are on the right track thanks to the team we have. Now it is time to keep pushing because I think we can go very far.”

With their main goal at this French Olympic Week already achieved, making the Medals, Silvia Mas, also from CNA, and Alejandro “Tano” de Maqua (CN El Balís) went out on the water on the final day with everything to gain. The Spanish pair posted two second-place finishes in the finals to close their participation in a creditable sixth place.

Helm Silvia Mas underlined how difficult the day had been: “We knew the points were very tight and that, with quite a lot of wind, it was not going to be easy to do well because all the crews are very fast, but we are happy to have been able to carry out the plan we had in mind when we went out on the water. It has been a week of ups and downs, with some very good moments and others more complicated, but at least we were able to execute what we had set out from the beginning. It is a shame we couldn’t win the Medals, but we fought for them, and taking two second places in a Medal Series is a very good result.”

Her crew member Tano de Maqua highlighted the positive feeling they take from the final day: “We fought right to the end and today we were able to put together two good Medal Races that lift us into higher positions, and we are happy about that. Finishing with a good feeling is always a positive. Now it is time to keep pushing for the World Championship, which is the next important event on the calendar.”

Patricia Suárez (RCN Vigo) and Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, were in the same situation in the 49er FX: nothing to lose and a lot to gain. The Galician-Mallorcan duo faced the two Medal Series races from an excellent fourth place overall, with an open shot at the podium.

In the first race, sailed in around ten knots of very unstable wind, Suárez and Henke delivered a highly competitive performance in which they stayed among the leading group from the start and crossed the finish line in third place, remaining firmly in the medal fight.

In the second and decisive race, with slightly more wind, the Spanish pair battled for the medal right to the end after a difficult first beat that dropped them into the middle of the fleet following a final wind shift that did not go their way. They crossed the finish line in sixth place, with their direct rivals ahead of them, leaving them just outside the podium in Hyères, three points short of bronze.

The Spaniards were keen to stress the value of the result. “We were fighting for the podium and we just missed out,” explained Melania Henke, “but we are happy. We went out with the points very tight and knew exactly what we needed to do to get onto the podium, but in the final race we were more aggressive and the others who were just behind us in the standings slipped through. In the end it was not to be, but we are very satisfied because we are right there, and looking ahead to the World Championship it is very positive.”

For her part, helm Pati Suárez added that they like the offshore wind conditions of the last two days: “We were able to perform at a high level. We felt comfortable and able to push hard. The podium slipped away from us, but this shows us that we can be there. What we need is that final finishing touch in the next regattas to try to achieve the medal we are aiming for.”

Olympic foiling windsurfing also held its Medal Series in Hyères, with Nacho Baltasar, from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, among the top ten in this discipline, the men’s iQFOiL. After several hours in port waiting for the wind, the Mallorcan sailor went out very focused and motivated to progress through the elimination rounds. However, in the first race, during the last manoeuvre before the start, a wind hole caused him to lose lift on the board. The Spanish Olympian quickly managed to get back up on the foil, but he had already started behind his rivals. “The race was very short, a slalom, with no upwind leg or anything, so I no longer had time or tactical options to come back and save that first elimination, and I finish the French Olympic Week in tenth place,” he explained back ashore, already thinking about his next event, the European Championship, which will be held in Portimão (Portugal) in mid-May.

The month of May is now packed with major events for the RFEV pre-Olympic and 2032 teams, with the Formula Kite World Championships in Viana (Portugal); the 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 World Championships in Quiberon (France); and the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 European Championships in Croatia, as well as the men’s and women’s iQFOiL European Championships in Portimão (Portugal).

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 given 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 Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Deporte Cantabria and the Regional Society for Culture and Sport). Official suppliers include Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool and Enovis, while institutional partners include ADESP and World Sailing.