2019 Optimist African Championship |02 September 2019
The Angolan team
Angolans show domination
Angolan sailors won most of the medals at theOptimist African Championship 2019 which the Seychelles Yachting Association hosted last week.
All races took placeoff the coast of Ile Persévérance during the course of last week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (individual racing) and Thursday (team racing).
The medals presentation ceremony took place on Saturday night at the Espace building and was graced by Eddie Micock, chairperson of the National Sports Council (NSC) board, Seychelles Yachting Association chairman Alain Alcindor, International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) vice president of Africa, Asia and Oceania Ajay Narang, representatives of sponsors, athletes, coaches and volunteers.
The gold medal in the overall category went to Angolan Ronâncio Paulo with 19 points after collecting three first place finishes, four second places, one third place and one fifth position. His worst finish – a sixth place in race number five – was discarded.
His compatriots Armindo Sousa (32 points) and Osvaldo Gama (34 points) won the silver and bronze medals respectively. South African Sean Kavanagh was ranked fourth with 38 points.
Dean Mathiot was Seychelles’ best competitor at the championship with 162 points.
The other Seychellois sailors finish as follows: Yves Fock Heng 18th position with 174 points, Luca Marzocchi 23rd position with 191 points, Fabio Bertola-Thevenon 26th with 211 points, Stephanie Lalande 34th with 268 points, Laurent Contoret is 40th with338 points, Jakira Radegonde 41st place with 354 points and Travis Ho-Peng stays in 42nd with 374 points.
Radegonde won the fair play/sportsmanship award for showing strength of character, perseverance and determination in the third race on Friday as she made sure the elements would not keep her down.
In the girls’ ranking, Angolan Aline Lourenço finished first but was ranked 12th overall with 115 points.
Second was her compatriot Joana Brito (13th overall with 146 points) and third Mozambican Maria Machava (14th overall with 148 points).
Angola’s second team won the 2019 Optimist team racing African championship. They were followed in second place by another team from Angola, while third place went to Mozambique.
In the female category aged 12 years and under, Angolan Victoria Camota was first, relegating Tanzanian Janet Nassari and South African Olivia Purchase into second and third places respectively.
South African Sean Kavanagh was best male sailor in the 12 years and under category and he was followed in second and third places by Wilson Camota and Gumba Braulio of Angola.
Tunisia will host the next championship next year followed by Tanzania in 2021.
G. G.
