· The sailor and coach of the Royal Maritime and Tennis Club of Punta Umbría leads the championship after the first tests held today in the bay of Baiona
· His clubmate Borja Melgarejo from Seville occupies second place on the provisional podium and Rafa Andarias from Alicante is third
· The Iberian 2.4mR Championship organized by the Monte Real Yacht Club ends tomorrow, Sunday, with the last tests and the award ceremony
Baiona, June 25, 2016.- The sailor and technician of the Royal Maritime and Tennis Club of Punta Umbría, Nacho Zalvide from Huelva, was today the leader of the Iberian Championship of the 2.4mR Class that is held in Baiona under the organization of the Monte Real Club de Yates with the sponsorship of Vitaldent. The man from Huelva managed to climb to the first position of the provisional podium after achieving two first places and one second in the three races held in the bay of Baiona.
The competition, which is part of the IV Iberdrola Paralympic Sailing Circuit, experienced a first regatta day with unbeatable conditions. Punctuality in the departure time and in the execution of the tests, sun and heat in the environment, and a good north wind that started blowing with about 12 knots and increased in intensity until reaching 16. The regatta committee launched three tests, each lasting about 40 minutes, in which the sailors had to complete a route set by buoys of just over two miles.
It was, according to Zalvide, “a very fun regatta, with a very gusty wind, very playful and very tactical”, which allowed them to “Enjoy sailing and continue preparing for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics”, in which Arturo Montes, who is trained by Zalvide, will represent Spain in the 2.4mR Class. “We continue to train very hard and we are taking advantage of these regattas to test some changes we have made to the boat, with the aim of making everything perfect for the event”, assures the Huelva native.
Montes did not do too well today in the water and had to settle for sixth position, but his teammate on the Olympic team, Borja Melgarejo from Seville, won provisional silver in the championship.
Waiting for what happens tomorrow in the water, with the last three tests of the competition, the bronze is held by Rafa Andarias from Alicante, from the Club Náutico de Jávea, third overall just one point behind Melgarejo.
And in fourth position appears the first Galician representative, Fran Piñeiro, from the Club de Vela Escota. The rider from Vigo had a very good first round, in which he finished third, but was unable to maintain that result in the second and third races.
The Iberian Championship of the 2.4mR Class, which the Monte Real Yacht Club organizes by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation with the sponsorship of Vitaldent, and which is part of the IV Iberdrola Paralympic Sailing Circuit ends tomorrow, Sunday with the last regattas points, starting at noon, and the award ceremony for the winners, at five in the afternoon in Baiona.
