Mallorcan Jan Palou is proclaimed absolute champion of the 73rd Trofeo Ciutat de Palma

The international Optimist class regatta has put the finishing touch to a historic season in which the Real Club Náutico de Palma has also hosted two World Championships and a European Championship.

Jan Palou, a sailor from the Real Club Náutico de Palma, has been proclaimed champion of the 73rd Trofeo Ciutat de Palma, a regatta that ended yesterday, December 8, gathering 327 athletes from the Optimist class from 15 countries. The competition had a clear Mallorcan accent, as Jan Palou was joined on the podium by two other young people from the island: Dani Capa, from CN s'Estanyol, who was second, and Jorge Benítez, from RCN Port de Pollença, who finished in third place.

Yesterday's session had to be canceled due to bad weather. Since the afternoon of Saturday, December 7, Mallorca has been experiencing a strong storm that did not allow the races scheduled for yesterday to be held, so the overall ranking remains with the eight races that had been held until Saturday. Jan Palou, the overall winner and also of the Sub 13 category, scored 28 points, followed by Dani Capa with 39 points and Jorge Benítez with 56 points.

In the female category, the victory also went to a local athlete. Lluc Bestard, from RCN Palma, prevailed over Polish Antonina Dziekanska and Catalan Agnes Hadzi Janev, from CN El Balis.

Jan Palou was very satisfied with the victory, which was not among his goals. "I had set a goal to finish in the Top 10, but in the end, I sailed very solidly, I felt comfortable in all the races, and I managed to win." Jan, who started sailing at the age of five, competes in the Sub 13 category at the age of 11. His brother is Niko Palou, who was runner-up in the Optimist European Championship in the 2023 season and who today competes in the ILCA class. Jan Palou wanted to thank the work of his coaches, who, he said, teach him "to be good technically and physically" and to "overcome moments when things don't go well." His goal is "to continue enjoying and learning."

The female champion, Lluc Bestard, also thanked her coaches for their trust and considered her victory a reward for her consistency. She confessed that she writes down everything she learns in training in a notebook because "the difference is in the details," and on days when she cannot go out to sea, she practices at home with a simulator.

The official of the Regatta Committee of this 73rd Trofeo Ciutat de Palma, Ariane Mainemare, explained the decision not to go out to compete yesterday, December 8, emphasizing that "safety is most important and we have an orange alert from AEMET for coastal phenomena." Mainemare, one of the world's most experienced race officials, noted that "the different weather stations we have in the Bay of Palma were giving us winds above 20 knots with peaks of 30 at times, so the conditions were not suitable for racing, especially with a fleet made up of children."

As no more races were carried out, the awards ceremony for the 73rd Trofeo Ciutat de Palma was moved forward to 1:00 PM so that the participants had more time to collect all the material and prepare for the return home more calmly, something that many teams who have come to Mallorca from different countries across Europe appreciated. The event was attended by Pedro Vidal, Secretary of Culture and Sports of the Balearic Government; Cati Darder, president of the Balearic Sailing Federation (FBV); Javier Garcia, vice-president of the Spanish International Optimist Class Association (AECIO); Rafael Gil, president of the Real Club Náutico de Palma; Jorge Forteza, commodore, and Hugo Ramón, sailing member.

The director of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, Manu Fraga, made a positive assessment of the regatta and stated that "it has put the finishing touch on a historic season in which the club has hosted two World Championships and a European Championship, in addition to its four major international regattas: Trofeo Princesa Sofía, PalmaVela, Copa del Rey MAPFRE, and this 73rd Trofeo Ciutat de Palma."

Fraga called for more support for this grassroots sailing competition, the oldest in the Balearic Islands, which he described as "eternal" and noted that "our goal is for the Trofeo Ciutat de Palma to maintain these participation figures of about 300 sailors each year, and to continue attracting athletes from so many countries."