As expected, competition was fierce since top athletes with distinctions in Olympic Games and World championships were participating in all classes.

In the women’s 470, the De Koning and Berkout pair from Holland finished in first place. European champions Sofia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa of Greece were third. In the corresponding men’s class, Australians Wilmot and Page won first place, while the best result for Greece was achieved by the twin crew of Panayotis Kambouridis and Angelos Lemanis, who finished in 7th place. European silver medallists Andreas Kosmatopoulos and Kostas Trigonis took 17th place.

In the Mistral class, victory in the first race went to Tobin of New Zealand, with Greece’s Nikos Kaklamanakis taking third place. “Even though I made a late start I managed to achieve a good placing. In view of the 2004 Olympic Games, the racing area needs a lot of study, even by us Greeks,” Kaklamanakis said.

In the women’s race in the same class, first place was won by Lee from Hong Kong while Georgia Andreadou of Greece finished in 26th place.

In the women’s Europe class, Borsi of France came first and Virginia Kravarioti of Greece third. In the Laser class, the race was won by Goodison of the UK while Vangelis Cheimonas of Greece came in fourth. In the Yngling class, the American crew with Swett-Touchette-Purdy won first place while Greece’s Lazarou-Chiona-Matzaraki finished in 12th place.

The second race will follow in the above classes.

Analytically, the results of the first sailing race were as follows:

470 Women

1.	DE KONING Marcelien BERKHOUT LOBKE	NED
2.	KORNITZKI Nike BOUSKILA Vered	ISR
3.	BEKATOROU Sofia TSOULFA Emilia	GRE
8.	MILONA Dimitra KOURKOULOU Aliki	GRE

470 Men

1.	WILMOT Nathan PAGE Malcolm	AUS
2.	CONTE Javier Alberto DE LA FUENTE Juan Maria	ARG
3.	BONNAUD Benjamin BONNAUD Romain	FRA
7.	KAMBOURIDIS Panagiotis LEMANIS Aggelos	GRE
17.	KOSMATOPOULOS Andreas TRIGONIS Konstantinos	GRE
25.	MANTIS Panagiotis POLYCHRONIDIS Theodore	GRE

Mistral Women

1.	LEE Lai shan	HKG
2.	JIAN Yin	CHN
3.	STURGES Natasha	GBR
26.	ANDREADOU Georgia	GRE
28.	SKARLATOU Angeliki	GRE
29.	FREY Antonia	GRE

Mistral Men

1.	TOBIN Jon-Paul	NZL
2.	OBEREMKO Maxim	UKR
3.	KAKLAMANAKIS Nikolaos	GRE
8.	CHRYSOCHOU Ioannis	GRE
16.	KOKKALANIS Byron	GRE

Europe

1.	BORSI Manon	FRA
2.	BRAIN Solenne	FRA
3.	KRAVARIOTI Virginia	GRE
4.	OIKONOMOPOULOU Ermio	GRE
5.	MALETINA Anastasia	GRE
6.	VLACHOU Maria	GRE

Laser

1.	GOODISON Paul	GBR
2.	BLANCENBERG Gareth	RSA
3.	SUNESON Karl	SWE
4.	CHIMONAS Evaggelos	GRE
11.	MANOLAKIS Antonios	GRE

Yngling

1.	SWETT Hanath TOUCHETTE Joan PUDRY Melissa	USA
2.	FERRIS Sharon FAMULARO Aimee WHITE Joanna	NZL
3.	CONTI Giulia BARONI Angela MARENZI Alessandra	ITA
12.	LAZAROU Fay CHIONA Myrto MATZARAKI Eftychia	GRE

Source: PRESS AND MEDIA OFFICE