Three races on the final day to complete the championship with eleven races in total for the Techno 293 sailors and a full complement of twelve for the RS:X Fleets. [more]Right until the last race nothing was sure, well except maybe the RS:X Men and Women’s champions and the fact that all had a great time here in Cancun.
The American team had already secured the first qualifying place for the Youth Olympic Games but the fight for the second qualifying place went right down to the wire. Yesterday, Mexico was ahead of Aruba by just one point with Puerto Rico behind by only two points, so it was a really close tough fight.
Mack Van Den Eerenbeemt came ashore triumphantly shouting “Aruba!!” after taking all three bullets of the day with the wind in his favour, thus claiming the coveted second qualifying place for his country.
On the podium, American brothers Maximo and Geronimo Nores switched places again whilst fellow American Steven Cramer managed to cling on to the third place by just one point ahead of Mack.
First girl Mariana Aguilar maintained her overall 7th position even though she does better in lighter winds. She also qualified Mexico for a spot in the girls Techno 293 fleet at Nanjing 2014.
In the RS:X fleets, Brazilian Ricardo Santos and Mexican Demita Vega are undisputed Men’s and Women’s Champions. In the 9.5, Mexican Ignacio Berenger took second place, pushing fellow countryman David Mier y Teran down to third.
Over in the 8.5 fleet the podium places belonged to Mexico. Nicole Level finished the championship with a flourish, siezing the last bullet and taking second place on the podium. Juan Varela, four points behind and third overall, was the first youth male.
The Championships drew to a close with a fabulous poolside party and prize giving. There is no doubt that the competitors have thoroughly enjoyed this first class competition in such excellent surroundings. They have had a variety of wind conditions – something for everyone – which has made for nail-biting drama as the leaderboard changed daily. The organisation and hospitality has been second to none.
And the final word from Carlos Padilla Becerra, President of the Mexican Olympic Committee: “I would like to wish all the competitors the best, I hope you all felt right at home here in Mexico and we hope to see you again real soon.”
Final Results : Techno 293 / RS:X
Check out highlights from the final day here
