Competitions of the first stage of the jubilee season of the regatta series «Optimists of the Northern Capital - Gazprom Cup» were completed at the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club. Over 50 young athletes aged from 8 to 13 years old from St. Petersburg took part in the regatta which was held on May 28-29.
According to the results of the competition, Vladislav Grakhov, an educatee of the team «Rautu»/ School of Air Force Academy, won in three races of the seven held. Athletes of Sailing Academy of Saint-Petersburg Yacht Club Matvey Lobanov and Danila Ivanov took the second and third places respectively.
Instable, moderate wind, which prevailed in the waters of the Neva Bay for two days, made both athletes and coaches nervous.
On the first day of competition Rodion Brovin, a student of «Rautu», was among the top three in the overall standings, but on the second day the results of the yachtsman worsened, and he finished the regatta fifth. Kirill Shunenkov, Academy trainee, also lost his position in the junior boys (under 11) final. In the girls event Alisa Kodaneva (Sailing Academy) replaced silver for bronze.
Stable results were shown only by the leaders of the classification: Vladislav Grakhov (overall classification), Sasha Minibaev (Academy, junior boys classification), Polina Soloveychik (Academy, girls classification) and Anya Neganova (Academy, junior girls classification).
«Start each season always shows new names of sportsmen, and this season is not an exception, - says Igor Taraskin, the coach of Academy of sailing, - while the established leaders of a class either have passed to the new classes of yachts or on road camps, here there is a serious struggle between young sportsmen. For example, we saw Polina Soloveychik and Matvey Lobanov on the podium back in the 2015 season, and successes of Minibaev, Neganova, Shunenkov, Ivanov show that the leaders have worthy opponents».
It was not without surprises. Experienced Arkady Karmanov and Alexander Melnikov (both from Academia) were clearly below their level.
«Arkady chose risky tactics of start and was twice on false start, which spoilt his results greatly - the Academy coach Denis Razumovich comments, - but in other races he was on top: the victory and three times coming in the top three from seven races».
The awarding ceremony for the first round of the series «Optimists of the Northern Capital - Gazprom Cup» will be held on June 4 in the presence of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee «» at the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club.
The next round of the series will take place in the familiar to many sportsmen water area of the yachting port «Johannes» in the village of Sovetskiy, Vyborg District. Competitions are planned for June 21-23.
