Volos, Greece – Three races were completed today at the 2023 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships, hosted by the Nautical Club of Volos & Argonauts. Clear skies and a southeasterly breeze of 14–16 knots were the perfect conditions to launch the final series and complete the extra scheduled race.
In the girls division, Greece’s U16 sailor Hermionie Ghicas had another outstanding performance in the gold fleet, finishing with a 1, 2, and 3 in today’s races and a total of 10 net points. Ukrainian Alina Shapovalova began the day with an eighth-place finish, then proceeded to win the two subsequent races and rise to second overall with 19 points. Another member of the Greek team, Kleopatra Anastassiou, holds third with 45 points.
In the boys division, Weka Bhanubandh of Thailand has maintained his lead and sits 10 points ahead of Hungary’s U16 sailor Benedek Heder, a new name on the leaderboard. Another U16 competitor, Italian Lorenzo Ghirotti, is just three points behind Heder in third. The varied conditions in Volos thus far have made for tight racing and up-and-down scores in the 287-boat fleet.
Three races are scheduled for tomorrow, 29 July. Organizing partners are the Hellenic Sailing Federation and the Municipality of Volos in conjunction with the Nautical Club of Volos & Argonauts and ILCA.
Text: ILCA
Photos & Videos by Nikos Zagas, ZAGAS Photography
