The 43rd Garda Lake Optimist Meeting is over: the successes go to Jesper Karlsen (Juniors) and Lucas Christiansen (Cadets)

Riva del Garda – The 43rd Garda Optimist Meeting has come to an end, a major regatta of the Fraglia Vela Riva racing season that brought together over eight hundred sailors on the Alto Benaco, who came to Garda Trentino from as many as forty-three different nations.

The three final races held by the Juniors this afternoon, taking advantage of a solid and stable Ora, helped Jesper Karlsen to break the deadlock and secure the overall victory, built on a leadership of as many as forty-two points. Concentrated and in phase at every moment of the regatta, the Fraglia Vela Riva representative, who had finished third at the First Selection in Marina di Ravenna and is in full swing to represent Italy at the World Championship in Portorose, was the protagonist of an aggressive participation and left no room for his opponents, who had to settle for second places. The Swede Isak Kaplan placed second, ahead of the Greek Flippos Portosalte, who completed the podium. In the women’s field, the Danish Freja Vintergaard took the lead, finishing seventh overall, ten places ahead of the Swedish Elsa Beijar, who finished second ahead of another Dane, Clara Lysdal Andersen.

Among the Cadets, who took part in two races today and who finished the event with a total of seven races, the victory did not escape the Puerto Rican Lucas Christensen who, remaining in command for the entire course of the race, beat the Spanish James Bentley and the Turkish Asya Cetin, who was the best of the women, ahead of Viola Vittoria Covi and Vittoria Pagani, who finished fourth and fifth overall respectively.

The Foletti Award, dedicated to the memory of Norberto Foletti, historic secretary of the Italian Optimist Class Association, went to the Danish Sarah Frier Haslund, best 2014 among the Juniors.

Fraglia Vela Riva won the ITAS Trophy, awarded to the yacht club that achieved the best cumulative placing: the home athletes collected 743 points, the same as Birzebbuga Sailing Club, which finished second considering the fact that the Garda club achieved success among the Juniors with the aforementioned Jesper Karlsen.