Marta Ferrando and Eduardo Reyes, bronze in the European Optimist Team Racing

The Optimist of the Valencian Community, representing Spain, hangs the bronze medal in the European Team Racing that has been held these days in Lake Ledro (Italy), from August 23 to 27. The Community team, which after winning the National Team Championship at the beginning of July in El Puerto de Santa Maria, obtained the ticket for the international event, was made up of Pedro Adán (CN Santa Pola), Elena Pérez (CN Jávea), Marta Ferrando and Eduardo Reyes, both from the RCN of Valencia, under the orders of coach Fernando Puig.

A metal that could have had another color, but the wind conditions in Ledro were not the best, not only for Spain but for all the teams. The national team, made up of four sailors from the Region, managed to close the first Round Robin (a series of league matches, all against all) with good results and feelings of going further.

In the second Round Robin, in which the 8 best teams of the 16 that started the competition were already classified, the wind began to show its worst face, leaving the fleet unable to compete in groups C and D, so that the committee decided to consider those obtained in Round Robin 1 as valid results, since it was not possible to complete and close the series of matches.

This meteorological situation left us unable to make way for the semifinals, petit final and the grand final. With the results obtained in the first series of matches, Italy took gold, while Poland took silver and Spain bronze.

Spain, represented by the Valencian Community Sailing Federation team, achieved 11 victories in that first installment in Ledro, losing only 4 matches, against Italy, Poland, Great Britain and Finland. In their triumphs, highlighting those achieved before powerful rivals, in the case of Germany, Switzerland, Greece or the always complicated and very prepared for the Italian event such as Turkey, which finished fourth on the podium.