2019 Optimist African Championship |28 August 2019
The competition started yesterday with three races
Angolan Ronâncio Paulo early leader
With a win and two second places, Angolan Ronâncio Paulo is the early leader of the Optimist African Championship 2019 being held in Seychelles.
Racing is taking place off the coast of Ile Persévérance and three races were organised yesterday with Ronâncio winning the second and taking second position in both the first and third for a total of five points.
He is being followed in second place by compatriot Luís Vasco with 14 points after finishing fourth, third and seventh in the three races.
Another Angolan, Fernando Sapalo is third with 15 points. He won the opening race but finished 10th in the second and fourth in the third.
Luca Marzocchi is Seychelles’ highest ranked sailor before the start of today’s second day of racing. He is in 12th place with 47 points after ranking ninth twice and 29th once in the three races.
The second best Seychellois is Yves Fock Heng in 14th position with 51 points after taking 11th, 24th and 16th places.
The other Seychellois are ranked as follows: Fabio Bertola-Thevenon is 18th with 61 points (24th, 18th and 19th), Dean Mathiot 23rd with 66 points (27th, 22nd and 17th), Stephanie Lalande 30th with 86 points (22nd, 37th and 27th), Laurent Contoret is 39th with 103 points (35th, 30th and 38th), Jakira Radegonde is 41st with 119 points (38th, 41st and 40th) and Travis Ho-Peng is 42nd with 121 points (40th, 42nd and 39th).
The leading female sailor is Joana Brito of Angola in 10th place overall with 43 points for finishing 33rd and fifth twice. Her compatriot Aline Lourenço is in the 11th position with 44 points after finishing 10th, 23rd and 11th in the three races.
A total of 42 sailors are taking part in the championship and today there will be three more races in the Optimist individual African championship.
As for the Optimist team racing African championship, it will take place tomorrow.
There will also be three races on Friday and Saturday counting for the Optimist individual African championship.
Competition starts at 12 noon.
The Optimist African Championship was launched by the chairman of the National Sports Council (NSC) board, Eddie Micock, in a ceremony held on Monday evening at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino. It is the first time that Seychelles is organising such a competition.
Among the guests were Vice-President Vincent Meriton, Health Minister Jean-Paul Adam, the chairman of the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA) Alain Alcindor, the vice-president of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) Ajay Narang.
This championship is being organised by the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA) in collaboration with the Seychelles Yacht Club (SYC) and the National Sports Council (NSC) under the authority of IODA.
G. G.