Erika Reineke crowned the new Laser Radial World Youth Champion
After a highly charged day’s racing on the Clyde in some of the trickiest conditions of the week, Giovanni Coccoluto (ITL) and Erika Reineke (USA) have been crowned the new Laser Radial World Youth Champions.
The upper reaches of the Clyde just to the north of Cumbrae, provided the perfect stage for the final two races of this very competitive and enjoyable series, allowing competitors to really push to their full potential.
In tricky, shifty, light to moderate winds reaching no more than 8-15kts, 16-year-old Reineke from Fort Lauderdale, FL won the event with a race to spare, which is exactly what she set out to do when she left the shore this morning.
In what turned out to be her last race, she had a fairly conservative first beat but this bubbly, determined yet incredibly cool young sailor kept her head when the going was tough and worked her way to the top of the fleet finishing in fourth place, which was enough to secure the overall world championship title. The winner was Evgeniya Kuznetsova (RUS) who sailed an impressive race to take her first win of the week, followed by Amalie Riou (FRA) and Chiara Steinmueller (GER) in second and third respectively.
Erika Reineke (USA): “It feels amazing because I’ve never won a world championship. I think it’s a good start. I won the bronze at the ISAF worlds, I finished second at the Youth Europeans in Copenhagen. I started sailing in Optimists from Lauderdale YC. Actually I was hoping to win in Turkey but got the bronze so I came here all fired up to win. I knew I had to fight even harder to do well because I really wanted the gold.”
“When I return home I’ll take a couple of weeks off but then I’ll start training again with an aim of doing the US Olympic trials. Paige Railey is an amazing sailor and I aspire to be like her, and Anna Tunnicliffe of course, so I hope to give them both a good trials. My ultimate aim is to race the Olympics.
“I have a great coach back home – Brad Funk – he has been working and training with me and he has really brought me a long way. As far as day to day training goes, I go to the gym three or four times a week, Saturdays and Sundays I sail Lasers, and Wednesdays after school. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I sail for High School. So, basically I sail every day except Friday when I’m usually travelling to regattas.”
Manami Doi (JPN) managed to retain her second place overall with a seventh in the last race, while Michelle Broekhuizen (NED) had to settle for third.
Manami Doi (JPN): “I am very happy indeed to have finished second in this highly competive fleet. If anything the wind was a bit strong today in the last race so I am pleased that I managed to finish seventh in that one. I managed to stay in the boat today too, which was also a big advantage!”
Charlotte Greenhalgh (GBR): “I had two very good races today with a first and a second which leaves me winning the Silver fleet Girls. It was quite challenging so it was important to keep eyes out the boat looking for wind and pressure, and to be on the right side of the fleet in case the wind changed. Getting the start right today was also important. This is my first world championship so I am really happy with my results.”
Rhianna Pavey (GBR): “I didn’t have such a good day today and I found it quite hard. I was leading the Silver fleet overnight but I didn’t want to get black-flagged again because that was already my discard, so I didn’t push the line too much and ended up second overall. Basically I had a bit of a bad start and couldn’t improve that much.”
Girls Overall Results (after 11 races, 2 discards)
1 Erika Reineke (USA) 22pts
2 Manami Doi (JPN) 49pts
3 Michelle Broekhuizen (NED) 53pts
4 Chiara Steinmueller (GER) 68pts
5 Julia Vallo Arjonilla (ESP) 72pts
6 Tiril Bue (NOR) 72pts
For full results go to the website: http://www.laserworlds2010.co.uk/radialyouth
