Day 4 at the 2024 Optimist World Championship

Thursday, December 12th, was another exciting day at the Optimist World Championship, hosted by the Club Náutico Mar del Plata in collaboration with the IODA. With a fleet of 225 competitors from 51 countries, the competition is fierce.

Morning conditions were challenging, with heavy rain and moderate northeast winds around 12 knots. The fleet was divided into gold, silver, and bronze divisions for the first time.

Brazilian sailors Arthur Back and Eduardo Essinger started strong, finishing 3rd and 1st, respectively. However, the second race proved to be more demanding, with winds gusting up to 25 knots and rough seas. Back, who was between the leaders, but a wave broke into his boat and dropped to 45th place. He managed to recover and finished 21st, which will be his discard.

Uruguayan sailor Máximo Ortiz Bertoletti and Spanish sailor Iker Mujica excelled in the challenging conditions, winning and placing second, respectively.

As of now, Brazil holds the top two positions in the overall standings, followed by Spain:

1. Arthur Back (BRA) - 15 points
2. Eduardo Essinger Backheuser (BRA) - 23 points
3. Joan Domingo (ESP) - 31 points
4. Mateo Carbonell (ESP) - 32 points
5. Iason Paganopoulos (GRE) - 38 points

The first female sailor is Brazilian Joana Freitas, who currently ranks 10th with 58 points.

The forecast for tomorrow predicts lighter winds from the northeast and more rain. The final day of competition and the awards ceremony will take place on Saturday at the Club Náutico headquarters. All races can be followed by tracking from the IODA website.

Complete results: https://2024worlds.optiworld.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

Access to photos for editorial use credit Matias Capizzano: https://bit.ly/2024OptiworldsPRESS