The 42nd edition of the Meeting del Garda Optimist concluded on Sunday, March 31st with a very wet day of racing, and the French sailor Mathias Krauss emerged as the winner. This event, which has become iconic for Optimist fleets worldwide, attracted nearly 1200 athletes from 38 nations to the Fraglia Vela Riva this year.
In the Junior division, the competition was fierce until the very end. The winner, Mathias Krauss, claimed the top spot on the podium after three days of qualifying races and two highly contested final races. Brazilian sailor Manuel Bragança finished in second place, losing the lead due to difficult wind conditions on the final day. English sailor Hugo Fletcher secured third place.
In the Cadet division, there was great excitement for Pietro Lombardi from Fraglia Vela Malcesine, who exclaimed at the finish line, “Hello mom, dad, maybe I won the race!” And indeed he did: after dominating the first two days and slipping to third place yesterday, Lombardi showed his character and clinched first place among the Cadets. Greek sailor Dimitrios Kapetanos finished in second place, followed by Turkish sailor Mert Durkal in third. In the Cadet girls’ ranking, Antoniette Papin maintained her lead and took home the gold.
During the award ceremony, several special prizes were also presented. Erik Futtrup Havemann from Denmark and Alexander Fischer Glent from Norway were recognized as the 42nd place finishers in the Junior and Cadet divisions, respectively. The Foletti Prize was awarded to Giorgios Papavasileiou, the best athlete born in 2013 in the Junior fleet. The Itas Trophy was won by the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club, the club with the four highest-ranked athletes in the overall Junior standings.
The 42nd Meeting del Garda Optimist confirmed its status as a highly significant international event, attracting numerous young sailors from around the world to compete on the waters of Lake Garda.
