Olympian Nacho Baltasar qualifies for the Medal Series at French Olympic Week

Nacho Baltasar, from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, has qualified for the Medal Series in the men’s iQFOiL class on a day marked by strong winds.

The fourth day of French Olympic Week, held yesterday, Thursday, April 23rd, in Hyères, was once again defined by very strong wind conditions, testing the fleet on the final day of racing before the Medal Series for the board classes (iQFOiL and Formula Kite). The Spanish Sailing Federation team continues to deliver an outstanding performance, with five crews competing in the top 10. Today, Friday, April 24th, Nacho Baltasar, from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, will race in the Medal Series in his class, while Marta Cardona, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Jordi Xammar will fight to reach their finals on Saturday in top positions.

In the mixed 470 class, Jordi Xammar (RCN Barcelona) and Marta Cardona, from CNA, continue to show in Hyères why they are the current world champions. The Catalan-Mallorcan duo once again led the gold fleet, with a third and a first place finish, allowing them to extend their lead by six points over second place, held by European champions Martin Wringley and Bettina Harris. Their cushion now stands at 10 points, and 12 over the third-placed French pair Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Gennes.

The Spanish crew maintains control of the overall standings with one day remaining before the two races that will make up Saturday’s Medal Series, the final day of competition in French waters. “We’re very happy,” said Xammar. “It’s really difficult to string together such strong results, and the truth is we’re giving it everything. We feel very comfortable and we’re sailing really well.” The Mallorcan crew member highlighted the key to their performance: “We haven’t sailed much in these wind conditions, but I like them and Jordi has taught me well. Both upwind and downwind we’re very coordinated with the waves and pressure, and it shows. And we’re also enjoying it, we’re here to have fun.”

The second Spanish pre-Olympic crew in this class, Silvia Mas, also from CNA, and Alejandro “Tano” de Maqua (CN El Balís), started the day with a race win in the gold fleet, confirming they are on the right track. An eleventh place in the next race prevented them from climbing the standings, and they remain in tenth overall. Still, the Catalan duo sees the day positively: “We’re happy to have improved in strong wind conditions after making some adjustments to the boat following yesterday,” said Silvia Mas. De Maqua added: “You always want to win, so the second result is frustrating, but overall it’s positive.”

In men’s iQFOiL, Nacho Baltasar secured his place in today’s Medal Series by holding onto tenth place overall. The Mallorcan will now fight for top positions in the elimination-style final format, where any windsurfer has a shot at victory. Meanwhile, Bernat Tomàs (CNA) concluded his participation in Hyères with a very solid nineteenth place.

In the 49er class, Martín and Jaime Wizner (RCN Vigo) remain in contention within the gold fleet and sit seventh overall after a day in which they posted a twentieth, a fourth, and a first. “We struggled in the first race due to a capsize,” explained Jaime, “but we felt very comfortable, had good speed, and managed to finish the day with a win, so we leave with good feelings.” As Martín explained, their goal is to reach the Medal Race: “We’re improving in conditions that aren’t our strongest, so we’re satisfied because the fleet level is very high and we’re in the fight.”

Patricia Suárez (RCN Vigo) and Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, continue to deliver a very solid performance in the 49er FX class. The Galician-Mallorcan duo, steadily progressing, move up one more position to seventh overall. Their results for the day were a sixth, a ninth, and a fourth. “We had another day of strong wind conditions and improved significantly compared to yesterday,” said the Galician skipper. “The first two days were light wind, so this increase suits our preparation for the World Championship. There’s one more day of finals left, and the goal is to keep climbing, hopefully into the top five.”

In ILCA 7, Javier Seguí (Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença) had a challenging day in the gold fleet, with two difficult early races. In the third race, he returned to form and posted an eleventh place, leaving him eighteenth overall in a fleet of 136 sailors.

With the exception of iQFOiL and Formula Kite, which will conclude today at the 57th edition of the French event, Friday will be the final day before Saturday’s Medal Series for the remaining classes, with several Spanish crews well positioned to fight for top honors in Hyères.

The activity of the Spanish Sailing Federation and its national teams, including the pre-Olympic squad 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 delivered the most Olympic gold medals for Spain.

The federation is sponsored by Iberdrola, Quirónprevención, and Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. Its institutional partners include the Spanish Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and Universo Mujer, along 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). Official suppliers include Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool, and Enovis, while institutional collaborators include ADESP and World Sailing.