Leaders confirm

26/01/2023

Pilar Lamadrid (ESP) and Sam Sills (GBR) managed on to their respective leads at the top of the general classification after a very demanding day on the waters of the Canary Island of Lanzarote. It was a great day too for the young Israeli Sharon Kantor and the Olympic champion Kiran Badloe who won today's major test, a marathon one-hour race from Lanzarote to the island of Lobos and back.

The second day of competition on Lanzarote waters (Canary Islands) still sees Sam Sills (GBR) and Pilar Lamadrid (ESP) hold the top spots overall for the consecutive day after racing in about 15 knots of wind which was altogether more unstable than the opening day, making the long race all the more challenging. It was a long, tough day with two fast Windward/Leeward races followed by the long marathon on a course between buoys which lasted about one hour. Lamadrid remains the Women's fleet leader but the Israeli Sharon Kantor has closed to only one point. The Spanish racer Pilar Lamadrid made up for a 17th place in the first race by bouncing back and winning the second race and then finishing the marathon in second place. But there was a great performance from Sharon Kantor who is only 20 years old.
“I started very well. I was in fifth position together with Pilar and Tibi. The downwind was really good, I was fast and I managed to pass them. I had a really good fight with Pilar, so I am happy I won. The key of my victory was that I was fast and I managed to continue in the front,” recalls the Israeli racer. Her compatriot Katy Spychakov (ISR), third in the marathon, completes the women's provisional podium. She holds on to the third place from yesterday. She lead for almost the entire first race but crashed some 50 meters from the finish line. The current world champion and winner in the last edition in Lanzarote, Marta Maggetti (ITA), finished third in the first race of the day and holds ninth place overall. With three days of competition left it is very close.

The men's fleet has finished the qualifying phase Wednesday, so Thursday and Friday the Finals sees a gold fleet of the top 42 athletes. Briton Sam Sills still holds top spot on the provisional leadership after winning the first two Windward/Leeward races of the yellow fleet, notching up six wins so far in the championship. Reigning RS:X Olympic champion Kiran Badloe (NED) prevailed in the marathon, breaking into the provisional podium in third place.
“I managed to win the marathon that is cool. It was crazy, extreme! We had big winds, big waves, a lot of guys pushing hard, everybody was trying to keep together. It was a lot of fun. I was fast, I was steady and in the end I managed slowly to move to the front. It has been a wonderful couple of days so far,” Badloe commented after reaching land.
The Dutchman returns to competition at the Lanzarote iQFOil Games after a break due to injuries and is happy to be back in action. “Last year was a bit a big challenge for me, with injuries. If I look back, the Europeans in May were actually the last event that I managed to finish. Since then, I have been up and down. I didn't do events but I did focus on getting better and the last few months I have been well, I feel stronger. December was the month when I jumped on the board and everything was ok. It is going to be a long year, it is actually my first race back and I am loving it."
Nicolas Goyard (FRA), the champion in Lanzarote last year moved up to second place with his first two race victories in the blue fleet. “The marathon was a long race, it was really, really tricky. I had a crash in the downwind, not so bad but I lost some places for sure and then in the upwind I came back a lot with very good speed. In the other two races of the day I won, so I am happy. I hope I will be able to do the same into the Finals”, he reported.

Provisional overalls. iQFOil Women. Day 2
1. Pilar Lamadrid (ESP), 1+1+(6)+1+(17)+1+2+2=8
2. Sharon Kantor (ISR), (2)+2+1+2+(8)+2+1+1=9
3. Katy Spychakov (ISR), 3+3+2+(13)+(9)+4+3+3=18
… 66 entries

Provisional overalls. iQFOil Men. Day 2
1. Sam Sills (GBR), (1)+1+1+1+1+1+(11)+(11)=6
2. Nicolas Goyard (FRA), 2+(13)+6+(8)+1+1+1,5+1,5=13
3. Kiran Badloe (NED), 4+1+4+(12)+(12)+5+0,5+0,5=15… 84 entries

Source: iQFOil Class
Photos: Sailing Energy