The Lanzarote International Regatta has received a record entry for the first big Olympic class European Regatta of 2023.
The event has attracted 257 entries spread accross six Olympic classes, the 470 (34), 49er (27), 49erFX (30), Nacra 17 (23 ) iQFoil men (78) and iQFoil women (65) with more than 350 competitors from Asia, America, Oceania and Europe.
Racing will start Friday 10 February for the 470 Mixed, 49er and 49erFX, with two iQFOil fleets and the Nacra 17 multihull opening their racing on Tuesday 14 February.
In the 470, now racing as a mixed class in the 2024 Olympics, the entry includes the current world champions, Germans Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth, plus the world and European runners-up, the Spanish Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman, and the European champions sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson.
The British 470 entry includes Olympic gold medalist Eilidh McIntyre now sailing with Martin Wrigley.
In the women’s 49erFX two-time Olympic champions Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, will face the current world champions Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz of Holland.
The men’s 49er fleet feature the top three from the 2022 world championships . . . Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken of Holland, and the Spanish runners-up, Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, plus third placed Sime and Mihovil Fantela of Croatia.
Leading the British competitors will be Freya Black and Saskia Tidey in the 49erFX and Chris Taylor and Rhos hawes in the 49er.
For the second part of the regatta, there are big fleets for the two iQFOil events, and Britain will be looking for podium places with a nine strong entry in the men and eight in the women.
The new iQFOil board has shown an ability produce last minute upsets with up to 16 races in three different formats – marathon, slalom and course racing, and then the winner takes all Medal Series.
The Nacra17 sees the top three from the 2022 worlds concentrating on the later Palma regatta.
This will open the podium to New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson, the fast improving Dutch pair Laila van der Meer and Bjarne Bouwer, and returning Olympian Billy Besson and Noa Ancian of France . . . before they to move on to Palma in early April.
Related Post:
Lanzarote iQFOil Games – Sills crashes-out in Final Line duel
Lanzarote starts the 2023 season with 200 Olympic class entries
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