470 EUROS ABOUT TO START IN ITALY

Sixty-seven international teams from 26 nations are ready to contest the 470 European Championship in San Remo, Italy, from 14 to 20 May. With little more than a year to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, and many teams already in the middle of selection trials to represent their nation on the Olympic stage, the competition is set to be fierce.

Will the sailing conditions in the northern Mediterranean suit the strong Italian squad about to race on home waters? There is certainly plenty of Italian talent on display with five Italian teams entered. However there is an even bigger German contingent - nine teams in total - including the reigning World Champions Luise Wanser  Philipp Autenrieth (GER).

Also showing world-class form in recent weeks are the husband and wife duo, Malte  Anastasiya Winkel (GER), who were third at last months Semaine Olympique Francaise Hyres further along the Northern Mediterranean coast, while Simon Diesch  Anna Markfort (GER) were fifth at the same event.

France always fields a strong squad for this regatta, the French having recorded the most medal wins at this event in the almost 60-year history of the 470 European Championships. Double Olympic medallist Camille Lecointre (FRA) continues to show good progress with former mens world champion Jrmie Mion on the trapeze, and Hippolyte Machetti  Aloise Retornaz (FRA) have also been posting top 10 results in major events this season.

The most consistent performers from the early 2023 season are Jordi Xammar  Nora Brugman (ESP) from Spain, with victories at the Lanzarote International Regatta and Semaine Olympique Francaise Hyres, and runners-up at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma in early April. This Spanish team were also the silver medallists from last years European and World Championships, so their familiarity with the podium make Xammar  Brugman the favourites for the title in San Remo.

Never to be discounted are the defending European Champions from Sweden, Anton Dahlberg  Lovisa Karlsson (SWE). Since winning last years title in Turkey, however, the Swedes have struggled to repeat the same form. A sixth place in Hyres suggests Dahlberg and Karlsson are not too far away from getting back to their best, although there are plenty of other teams who also have serious aspirations for a top three in Italy.

Winners at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma a few weeks ago were Keijo Okada  Miho Yoshioka (JPN), one of a number of non-European teams set to compete in San Remo. Other nations from farther afield include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India and the USA. Four-time Olympic representative Stu McNay (USA) is back campaigning in a 470 with new teammate Lara Dallman-Weiss, who also represented USA in the womens 470 at Tokyo 2020.

Sunday 14 May is practice race day and the end of registration and measurement. The first race of the Championship is scheduled for 1200 hours local time on Monday 15 May.

To get all the news, photos and updates from the racing, go to 470.org

written by Andy Rice

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Photo Credits: Nikos Alevromytis/ Kazushige Nakajima/ Andy Rice / Int. 470 Class

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