Paula Barceló and Támara Echegoyen win the bronze medal in the European Championship of the 49er FX

Total calmness in the waters of Vilamoura to close the 49er and 49er FX European Championship, which brings the curtain down with a bronze medal for the Club Nàutic S'Arenal sailor Paula Barceló and her teammate Támara Echegoyen in 49er FX and a youth gold medal in 49er for the Wizner brothers, 11th overall in Europe, with Diego Botín and Florian Trittel finishing tenth.

After having to cancel the scheduled fleet races, the wait has been long to try to hold the Medal Races in each category. The Committee has pushed the time limit to the limit in order to finish the Championship and to consider Sunday's results as definitive.

For Támara Echegoyen and Paula Barceló this early end meant losing all options to reach the silver medal in 49er FX, which is 14 points behind the Spaniards in the hands of the Italians Germani and Bertuzzi. The gold medal went to the Norwegians Naess and Ronningen.

The Galician-Balearic crew took a bronze medal that tastes like much more given the circumstances of the Championship, in which they dominated conditions that were not very favorable for the Spanish Olympic representatives. Támara and Paula have been able to put in value all the work done during the last months to adapt to this regatta course, taking a big step in their preparation for the Olympic Games. The Spaniards started in tenth place overall and stormed the podium on the second day of competition, flirting with the medals from the following day.

Támara Echegoyen celebrated being on the podium and pointed out that "this has been a week that we have made the most of, with very light wind conditions every day. A lot of learning and a medal that tastes like gold". For Paula Barceló it has been "a tough week but we are very happy with the result and, above all, with what we have learned, which is the most important thing in the end. We have fulfilled all our goals and we are taking home a medal".

In 49er, 14 points separated Diego Botín and Florian Trittel from the coveted TOP10 yesterday, 15 to Martin and Jaime Wizner. The last scheduled fleet race in the Gold group held the key for the Spaniards to reach the TOP10 of the Medal Race. With the cancellation of the last race, the Wizner brothers celebrated their position as top juniors by winning the European gold medal in this category, with 11th place in the overall continental ranking, 14th in the Open classification. Diego Botín and Florian Trittel close the European TOP10 and are 13th overall. 

The next appointment in the 49er, 49er and Nacra 17 calendar will be in Lanzarote in the first week of March for the 2024 World Championship.