The 2021 ILCA 6 World Championship concluded yesterday in Barcelo Mussanah, Oman, with Nik Pletikos of Slovenia winning the men’s 2021 ILCA 6 World Championship in the last race on the last day of the competition.
Taking the title by a single point, Pletikos secured the gold by winning race 12, while closest challenger, Oman’s Almoutasim Al Farsi, leader of the race throughout, finished fourth.
That result meant that Al Farsi must settle for the silver while fellow Omani AbdulMalik Al Hinai moved up a place to take the bronze to secure two medals for the host nation. Umut Eyriparmak (TUR) ends the championships in fourth, Karel Ratnik (EST) in fifth and Ali Al Saadi of Oman finished in sixth.
The women’s race was just as dramatic. Emma Plasschaert of Belgium is the 2021 ILCA 6 Women’s World Champion finishing level on points with Agata Barwinska of Poland. Plasschaert finished ahead of Barwinska in the final race, crossing the line in third, to win Gold while Barwinksa claimed Silver. Viktorija Andrulyte of Lithuania took the Bronze, two points behind.
Olympic Champion Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) finished fourth, four points off the podium positions, with Julia Büsselberg (GER) in fifth despite winning the final race. Just seven points separated first and fifth in the end.
Emma Plasschaert, new women’s World Champion, said, “I went to the last day without any expectation, and just wanted to have three good races. I ended up with two good ones. It is a little bit surreal to come back on shore and not knowing what the points are. I am obviously super stoked about it and proud to be the World Champion!”
“It came here thinking to aim for top three,” Agata Barwinska (POL) said. “I am having a bit of a bitter-sweet moment. I finished with the same points as Emma but I am not saying that this is my last Worlds”. She added, “There was a lot of very good athletes like Anne-Marie Rindom who just won an Olympic gold medal. It was great to race against her. For me, it was a lot of light wind throughout the week, which I really like!”
Julia Büsselberg of Germany, finishing fifth in the women’s race, said, “On the one hand, I am very happy with my performance, especially on the last day. On the other, it is just seven points to the title. I had it in my hands in at least three of the races where I made a mistake so I am not one hundred percent happy at the moment. In my opinion, the level of the competition was very high, nearly everyone has competed at the Olympics and will continue afterwards.”
After the racing had concluded, organisers Oman Sail and race officials gathered to present the winners with their medals at a ceremony held under the patronage of Her Highness Afraa bint Talal Al Said at Barceló Mussanah Resort.
The event was supported by national carrier Oman Air, OQ and the Barceló Mussanah Resort as official partners, and Be’ah as environmental supporter. The National Mineral Water Company Salsabeel Water provided all essential water supplies for the event while the Royal Navy of Oman provided medical support throughout. More information about the championships is available at organisers’ page www.omansail.com or the class website http://2021-radial.laser-worlds.com.
Barceló Mussanah Resort will now prepare to host the 2021 Youth Sailing World Championships. A highlight in the world sailing calendar from 11-18 December 2021 as 350 of sailing’s future stars head to Oman for the 50th anniversary of the competition and the first to be held in Asia.
At the same time, the venue will invite the community to #SailwithUs as part of the nationwide Oman Sailing Festival which kicks off at the venue on 11 December 2021. Lasting a week, until 18 December, visitors have the opportunity to try sailing and windsurfing for free and take part in a beach clean up to preserve the environment for future generations and help to keep the seas clean.
