| ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA-(2-7-2005) Croatia's Past Optimist World Champion Sime Fantela with ace crew Igor Marenic, have dominated the International 470 Junior Worlds in beautiful Saint Petersburg Russia to take their second title in 3 weeks, winning ahead of sailors from 19 Nations.
The last day of competition in the 2005 Junior (Under 22) Int 470 World Championships in St Petersburg Russia begun with the Men?s Championship title already being secure.? But it could have got off to a better start for Polish Teams Baldyga and Becker and the Belarus team of Adzintsou who registered an OCS in the first start.
Croatian ?Champions in waiting?, Sime FANTELA? & Igor MARENIC watched the game from a safe distance while the fleet chased to the righthand side of the course and the approaching dark skies bringing increased velocity and a good shift.? Estonia?s top women Randmaa MERICI & Agnes LILL needed a good results and were on-track and on the right side making the first mark infront of the fleet and staying there for the entire race.?? They were followed closely by Greeks Vasilas GEORGIOS & Evangelos MITTAKIS and then the Israeli girls GILBOA & KANONICH.
Conditions increased to 7-9 knots for the final race of the 14 race series and the Estonian Women were intent on making it their day.? Merici and Lill sailed to the unofficial Junior Women's World Championship title while the French Camille LECOINTRE & Gwendolin LEMAITRE, after leading all week suffered their two worst results for the regatta and gave up Gold for Silver.??? Impressively, the youngest Women?s team in the field and recipients of the 470 Women?s Support Grant from Israel, Adi Gilboa and Ravid Kanonich took Bronze.
Without doubt, Fantela and Marenic of Croatia , after a European title win 3 weeks ago and registering seven wins and three 2nd places for the regatta have announced their domination of the Junior Fleet and their intention to make their Mark in the Open Worlds that start in San Francisco in 3 weeks time.
The Greek men Georgios Vasilas and Evangelos Mittakis started the last day in 4th place but sailed briliantly to jump into second overall for a Junior World?s Silver Medal followed by the Polish team of Patryk Piasecki and Jacek Pryzybylak.? The Polish taking a World?s Bronze to go with their Silver in the Junior Europeans.
After a sometimes trying week, the almost 80 teams will enjoy the hospitality of Saint Petersburg tonight and look forward to next years Junior Worlds in Flensburg Germany in June 2006.
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