Intense day in the waters of Sa Ràpita at the IQFoil Youth & Junior World Championship

The 2024 IQFoil Youth & Junior World Championship is approaching its final stages after successfully completing the fourth day of races at the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita (CNR).

After being unable to hold any races on Wednesday due to lack of wind, this Thursday has been marked by intense activity under a cloudy sky and windy weather, contrasting with the sunny and almost summery atmosphere of the previous days.

The day began at 9 a.m. with a minute of silence in solidarity with those affected by the recent DANA that has devastated the eastern peninsula. After the emotional tribute, the races started at 10 a.m., beginning with the sub 19 and sub 17 female categories, in which five races were held in each group.

From early in the morning, the wind blew from the east, with an intensity of 10 knots in the Alfa race area, located between Sa Ràpita and Colonia de Sant Jordi. Shortly after, it increased in strength, reaching gusts of up to 17 knots. In the other race area, the wind intensity increased to between 13 and 15 knots.

By 1 p.m., the Race Committee had raised the delta flag to start the men's races scheduled for the day. The sub 19 category began the day with the new distribution of sailors, after the cut, dividing the fleet into Gold and Silver groups. The former completed five races, while the latter completed four. Meanwhile, the sub 17 category will start the cut and begin competing in Gold and Silver groups based on their rankings starting tomorrow.

This World Championship has gathered 375 sailors from 35 different countries in the waters of Sa Ràpita this week, making the CNR the global epicenter of the IQFoil class. At this stage of the competition, the British Darcey Shaw leads the sub 19 female category, followed by Norway's Maya Gysler and the Czech Nela Sadílková. In the sub 17 class, Israel's Alba Klein dominates, followed by Turkey's Rüya Uğurlu and Poland's Julia Przybył.

In the sub 19 male category, Italy's Federico Alan Pilloni remains in the lead, followed by Poland's Igor Lewinski and France's Kylian Manhaval. In sub 17, the rankings are tight, with Israel's Itamar Levi leading the competition, followed by France's Leopold Brisedou in second place, and also from Israel, David Aleshko completing the podium.

Complete rankings >> https://2024iqyjworldssarapita.sailti.com/en/default/races/race-resultsall

Only one more day of racing remains tomorrow, Friday, plus the Medal Race scheduled for Saturday. However, tomorrow's competition is uncertain due to the weather forecast. A special bulletin has been issued placing Mallorca on Orange Alert for rain and storms. According to Emergències 112 Illes Balears, the IG-1 of the Meteobal Plan has been activated, as a complicated day is expected with rainfall that could reach 50 l/m2. The organization will stay alert to the weather forecast and will inform as soon as possible about its final decision regarding Friday's races.

In other news, the live multi-camera coverage provided by the IQFoil class, using various drones and cameras on the race courses, has been very successful. Through YouTube, you can experience the race live in great detail, as well as follow the live rankings at this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/WbeWkrruYAs