Last day of the 470 World Championships in Gdynia is a wrap! The competition was very tight and full of emotions, as battle for World Championship came to the last seconds of the race!
The conditions were hard, with a constantly changing direction of wind and an average of just 5-6 knots. The medal race was run three times, due to those complications. After the second try Race Committee decided to relocate the racing course which turned out to be the key to success.
Due to the hard conditions, the race was very tactical and brought out the best in all crews.
For the majority of the race the British team of Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris were in the lead of the Championship but that all changed on the last leg, putting them in third place overall. After a bad start, the Spanish team – Jordi Xammar Hernandez and Marta Cardona Alcantara managed to move up a few places which granted them the World Champions title! The German team of Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort became the Vice World Champions.
”It’s been a great event and so was the medal race. It was also a very close finish between us, the Germans and the British crew.
Coming into the medal race from second place it was key for us to overtake as many crews as possible during the race. We had a very good final leg, which won us the World Championship. We are obviously very happy because today shows what this team is made for! We are now looking forward to see what the future holds.” said Jordi Xammar Hernandez
“I think the most difficult thing to do today was to not stress when the first two races were abandoned. Luckily we managed to do that, we stayed focused and kept pushing and finally we did it!” added Marta Cardona Alcantara.
”After this week we will definitely remember Gdynia for a long time. Winning the title like we did today was one of those moments that make you feel alive.” – further explained Jordi. “Now we have a little bit of time to rest after this very physically challenging week.” – summed up Marta.
The battle lasted until the very last minutes of the race and sailors were challenged to the maximum. Gdynia really brought out the craftsmanship of sailing.
The Italian team of Elena Berta and Giulio Calabro won the medal race, in second place came the French duo of Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Gennes and in third the British – Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris.
This championship title marks a new chapter of success for Jordi Xammar who now wins his second consecutive World Championship title in the 470 class – this time with new crewmate Marta Cardona, following his 2024 victory alongside Nora Brugman.
Germany’s Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort claimed the silver medal after leading the fleet into the final day, while Great Britain’s Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris rounded out the podium with bronze.
Final Results – Top 3:
1. Jordi Xammar & Marta Cardona (ESP)
2. Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort (GER)
3. Martin Wrigley & Bettine Harris (GBR)
Read the original article here.
@470olympicsailing
Interested in seeing more Racing News?
