Nacho Baltasar Misses Medal Series Due to Protest

A day of ups and downs in Marseille, with the 49er Medal Race postponed due to a drop in the wind. In men's iQFOiL, the sailor from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Nacho Baltasar, returned to shore in the top ten, ready to compete in the iQFOiL men's Medal Series this Friday, August 2nd, but a protest dashed his hopes.

With scores of 13-5-3 in the last three races, Nacho Baltasar returned to shore within the top ten, allowing him to compete in the Medal Series of the class on Friday, August 2nd.

Baltasar had been gradually improving, steadily working towards his goal. With four points to secure in the final race, the Spanish sailor showcased his ability to progress by securing third place in that race, climbing to the tenth position on the leaderboard. However, upon reaching shore, Swiss sailor Elia Colombo filed a protest that resulted in Baltasar's disqualification in the eleventh race, thwarting his commendable effort to qualify for the Medal Series. Due to the disqualification, Nacho Baltasar finished in eleventh position, three points shy of the top ten.

"We fought until the end. The goal was to be in the Medal Series, and we returned to shore having achieved that goal, but following a protest filed by the Swiss sailor, the Jury decided on our disqualification. We believe that the Swiss sailor's protest is unfounded, and we will defend this in the reopened hearing we have requested," stated Baltasar. The request for a reopened hearing was not accepted by the organization, leaving the young sailor from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita out of the battle for the medals.