Three Balearic sailors reach the Top 10 at the ILCA U21 World Championship

Balearic sailors Karol Krupski, from Club de Vela Puerto de Andratx, and Marga Perelló and Maria Gornés, both from Real Club Náutico de Palma, are currently in the provisional Top 10 of the ILCA Under-21 World Championship, being held in Lanzarote until this Saturday, January 24. Krupski sits in fourth place in ILCA 7, while Perelló and Gornés are eighth and ninth respectively in ILCA 6.

The ILCA Under-21 World Championship, an Olympic sailing class event, has reached its midway point. This Wednesday, January 21st, the competition completed its third race day at Marina Rubicón, Lanzarote, marking the end of the qualifying series. It was a key day that determined the Gold Fleets for the final series and, therefore, the sailors who will continue to contend for the world title.

Racing took place on the course off Marina Rubicón, between Papagayo and the marina, under more stable, though still demanding, conditions than on previous days. Winds blew from the NNW at 8 to 12 knots, with a milder current running in the same direction as the wind, allowing the full racing schedule to be completed smoothly.

The ILCA 7 fleets (yellow and blue) and the ILCA 6 fleet launched from 10:45 local time, with races getting underway shortly after midday. Clean starts and no major incidents marked the day, during which the two scheduled races were completed, bringing the qualifying phase of the championship to a close.

With a third and a seventh place in Wednesday’s two races, Slovenia’s Luka Zabukovec moved from second into first place, becoming the new provisional leader in ILCA 7 in an extremely tight overall standings, where margins remain minimal.

“In the first race I had a good start and, thanks to good speed, I managed to finish third. Conditions were very tricky, with highly variable wind, which meant you had to make the right decisions,” he explained after coming ashore. “In the second race I didn’t start well, but I read the wind better and gained many positions to finish seventh. My goal is to stay consistent. Now, in the Gold Fleet, the level will be very high, but the plan is to keep being regular and give my best,” added the new leader.

Joining the Slovenian in the provisional Top 3 are Italians Antonio Pascali and Antonio Barabino, who move onto the podium at the expense of Spaniards Karol Krupski (CV Puerto Andratx) and Fernando Abella (CAR Infanta Cristina), now fourth and fifth respectively. Even so, at the end of the qualifying series, the sailors from Spain’s pre-Olympic and 2032 development team remain very close to the podium, just three and five points behind. Israel’s Rem Pulci, seventh overall, was the standout of the day with two race wins. 

In the women’s fleet, as in the men’s, Italy is setting the pace. Reigning Under-21 European champion Ginevra Caracciolo strengthens her status as a benchmark of the Lanzarote World Championship and remains the provisional leader for the third consecutive day. Greece’s Hermione Ghicas, current Youth World Champion, holds on to second place, while Italy’s Maria Vittoria Arseni climbs to third, confirming her progress in a very evenly matched fleet.

Arseni highlighted the difficulty of the day: “The wind was very shifty and you had to constantly look for pressure, because everything could change at any moment. It was a very hard day, but I’m happy to have been able to sail two good races.”

She also underlined the tight competition heading into the final series: “There are about ten sailors very close together in the standings, so it’s going to be a really exciting battle over the next few days.”

From a Spanish perspective, Youth World Champion Irene de Tomás (RCN Valencia) finishes the qualifying series in fourth place, just four points off the podium, while Adriana Castro, from RCN Torrevieja and a member of the RFEV pre-Olympic team, is fifth. RCN Palma sailors Marga Perelló and María Gornés are eighth and ninth, maintaining a strong Spanish presence in the World Top 10.

The ILCA Under-21 World Championship, organised by Marina Rubicón, now moves into its final series. Racing continues today, Thursday, in the waters off Lanzarote, with two more races scheduled from 12:00 local time.

The ILCA Under-21 World Championship is organised by Marina Rubicón and sponsored by Turismo Lanzarote through its sports tourism product “Lanzarote Sports Destination”, the Cabildo of Lanzarote through its Island Sports Service, the Art, Culture and Tourism Centres of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, and the Yaiza Town Council, with the collaboration of, among others, the Canary Sailing Federation, the Latin Sail Federation and DinghyCoach.