Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1210197
21 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2020 SPORTS YACHTING Wilfred Sultana YES indeed "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" for one can only say some- thing is a success after it has been tried out, assessed, compared and is accepted and acknowledged for its various charac- teristics and standards. The 'proof' of the Mapfre Middlesea Eu- romed International Regatta, organised by the Malta Young Sailors Club, has been its steady growth in quality participants, number of countries represented, and the constant gaining of global respect and recognition over the past 20 years, since its introduction in December of 2000. The First Edition of the Optimists Class Regatta was held with an encouraging participation of 60 sailors from five na- tions, including Malta. The 2015 16th Edition, attracted a re- cord entry of 227 sailors from 17 coun- tries representing 55 different sailing clubs while the 20th Euromed held last December attracted 203 sailors, 184 Opti- mist and 19 Laser, coming from 28 coun- tries and representing 59 different clubs. Here were participants from various Eu- ropean countries as well as from far away lands such as Russia, Hong Kong, Burma, Japan, Thailand, and the USA to further contribute to make Euromed a prime in- ternational sailing attraction. The winner of the 20th Anniversary Edition of Euromed was fourteen-year- old Tommaso De Fontes, who is also the reigning Italian Optimist National Cham- pion (2019). Furthermore he formed part of the Italian national team that won the Optimist Team Racing World Title Championship (2019) in Antigua. De Fontes is a member of the Circolo Nautico NIC of Catania. NIC participat- ed in four Editions of Euromed and in the 2019 Regatta, the Club was represented by eight sailors. Angelo Massara, Sports Director at the Circolo Nautico NIC, remarked "Eu- romed is a very important event for at least three factors that are fundamen- tal for us: it is an international regatta, top-level athletes participate from all over the world, it is organized in a peri- od in which there are no other regattas so this is a highly formative training for our athletes." In second place, 11 points behind De Fontes, came Alessandro Cortese who besides being the reigning European Op- timist Champion also formed part of the Italian team that won the 2019 Optimist European Team Racing Championship (Lago di Ledro-Italy). Cortese is a mem- ber of the Club Velico Crotone who were present on five editions of Euromed and had 10 participants on the 2019 Regatta. Alessio Frazzita, Optimist Class In- structor of the Club Velico Crotone looks at Euromed as "a regatta that I always do willingly. Well organised especially for logistics, which allows me to devote more time with our sailors to analyze their in- dividual performances. It also give our sailors an opportunity to enjoy an inter- national experience by integrating with other participants from all over the world. In almost all the five editions of Euromed we have contested, we have completed all the scheduled races and therefore com- pared to other regattas I think it is more viable." The 2019 Euromed Laser 4.7 Class and the 2019 ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships held in Kingston Cana- da had a common 'star'. She was sixteen- year-old Swiss sailor Anja von Allmen who won both events. To gain her World Title she had to bet- ter 63 competitors in the Girls Fleet. In 2018 Anja placed 3rd in the Optimist Women Worlds in Cyprus and was the Swiss Laser 4.7 Class Champion in 2019. She is a member of the Swiss Regattaclub Oberhofen who for the last Euromed had Optimist sailors from the national Talent Pool and also Laser sailors. The Maltese contingent, with 43 sailors, was the largest of all teams. Italy had 27 while Russia and Switzerland fielded 17 competitors each. The top three placings gained by competitors representing Mal- ta in the Optimist Open were – Antonio Gasperini (MYSC) 10th; Benjamin Vas- sallo (MYSC) 11th; and Nico Drescher (MYSC) 12th; while the top placed local sailor in the other sections were: Optimist Cadet – Eric Fenech Pace (MYSC) 1st; Optimist Beginners – Poyraz Fidanboy (RMYC) 4th; Laser 4.7 – Saul Vassallo (MYSC) 2nd; and Laser Radial – Zachary Zammit (MYSC) 1st: 20 editions which saw 17 winners com- ing from seven different countries. A name that stands out amongst all the winners is Richard Schultheis (Malta) who not only won three editions (2015- 2017-2018) of Euromed but in his 2015 victory at the age of 10 years he remains the youngest ever winner of the Regatta. Another Maltese youngster, Thomas Zammit Tabone, won two consecutive editions in 2006-2007. When it comes to triumph by country, Malta leads with eight victories, followed by Italy with 4, Russia with 3, Sweden with 2, and with 1 win each for Great Britain, Ireland and Turkey. Since its 16th Edition (2015) the event has secured a title sponsorship from the insurance firm MAPFRE Middlesea p.l.c., thus since then it became known as the Mapfre Middlesea Euromed Internation- al Regatta. The event is held under the auspices of the Malta Sailing Federation with further sponsorship extended by Yachting Malta. Positive feedback on Euromed Tommaso De Fontes – A young champion with superb credentials (Photo: Rodrigo Moreira Rato/Malta Young Sailors Club)