Italy's Mattia Camboni and Marta Maggetti will lead the RS:X Boys and Girls charge when racing kicks off at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Tavira, Portugal on 14 July 2014.
In the RS:X Boys fleet only eight sailors return for their second ISAF Youth Worlds with many fresh young faces entering the mix.
Returnees from the 2013 regatta include bronze medallist Radowslaw Furmanski (POL), Toni Bonet (ESP), Jiwon Son (KOR), Arthur Ulrichsen (NOR), Gabriel Verrier-Paquette (CAN), Jock Calvert (AUS) and Juan Fernando Bazo (PER).
The Italian racers won gold at the 2013 RS:X Youth Worlds on their home waters of Civitavecchia in October 2013 and have ISAF Youth Worlds medals to their name. Camboni, 2012 silver medallist, will be amongst the favourites in the 33 strong RS:X Boys fleet whilst Maggetti, 2013 silver medallist, will feature in the 21-boat RS:X Girls pack.
Camboni was not selected for the 2013 edition but gained ISAF Youth Worlds experience from the 2010 edition in Istanbul, Turkey where he placed ninth, the 2011 regatta in Zadar, Croatia where he finished 12th and the 2012 ISAF Youth Worlds in Dublin Bay, Ireland.
With a strong racing pedigree behind her Maggetti will be one of the favourites in the RS:X Girls fleet.
The 18-year-old raced at the 2013 ISAF Youth Worlds finishing second behind Yunxiu Lu (CHN) by five points and 11 points ahead of fellow 2014 competitor Sara Wennekes (NED). Just three months later the former Techno 293 Under 15 & 17 World Champion took a tense final day gold at the RS:X Youth Worlds.
Aiming to put a stop to Maggetti will be 2013 bronze medallist Wennekes. The Dutch racer has competed against the Italian on the world stage since 2010 where they first met at the Techno 293 Worlds and has put in many hours of preparation and competition time leading up to the 2014 ISAF Youth Worlds.
Wennekes also sailed at the 2012 ISAF Youth Worlds in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, finishing seven points off the podium and will be using her experience of the event to full advantage, “I think it is important to use information from other competitions,” said Wennekes. “I can improve myself in that way especially since I know what mistakes I made last year.
With more than 370 sailors from 68 nations competing in eight classes at the ISAF Youth Worlds the event is unique as Wennekes concluded, “I expect the regatta will be amazing, like it was last year. The whole organisation and atmosphere was great and made me feel really comfortable. Hopefully it will be the same this year so I can make the best out of it. In the end, the only way to get a good result is to get the best out of myself. I'm looking forward to it because it will be a great experience again.”
The ISAF Youth Worlds commences on 12 July and runs through to 19 July. Racing kicks off on 14 July at 13:00 local time.
