Sofia Gisele Berteotti wins the Under 17 ILCA 6 Europeans in Greece
Thessaloniki – Tenth overall and the best Under-17 finisher: the ILCA 6 Youth European Championship in Thessaloniki, which featured nearly three hundred and fifty athletes competing on two courses, was a rewarding one for Fraglia Vela Riva’s young talent, Sofia Gisele Berteotti.
Facing around ninety competitors, Berteotti sailed solidly, finishing five of the twelve races in the top ten overall. This performance allowed her to stay in touch with the leading group and finish the series in ninth place among the Europeans, earning the prestigious Under-17 title, which she won by a whopping 42 points over Turkey’s Derin Bartan, who finished around twenty overall.
“This victory in Greece has a truly special meaning for me. I took first place in the ILCA 6 Under 17 category, also managing to reach the top ten overall, after six days of racing and twelve very challenging races. The satisfaction is even greater because I recently moved up from the ILCA 4 class, so the initial goal was to enter the Gold Fleet, gain experience and understand where I stood compared to the other athletes. Day after day, however, I gained more and more confidence in my abilities. I tried to stay focused on each individual race, without letting myself be influenced by the ranking. At the end of the third day, I earned the blue bib, reserved for the second-place finisher in the Under 17 category. From that moment on, my goal changed: I dreamed of reaching the top step of the podium. From the very next day, I found myself in the lead in the Under 17 category and managed to defend my place until the last race, holding it for four consecutive days. Winning after such an important comeback and, above all, managing to enter the “A top ten finish, far exceeding my initial goal, has made this experience even more meaningful. This success is the fruit of the work I’ve done over the past few months and gives me so much motivation to continue growing in the new class. I thank my coach, my athletic trainer, Nilde, Fraglia della Vela Riva, my family, and everyone who supports me every day. Without them, none of this would be possible. I return from Greece with even more enthusiasm and the desire to continue working hard, knowing that this is just the beginning of my journey in ILCA 6,” said Sofia Gisele Berteotti after the awards ceremony.
“It was a very tough championship, both because of the super heat, the difficulties of the course located in the Gulf of Thermaikos, where the start was crucial, and the very long days. After finishing the first day with an atypical northerly wind, we raced with a breeze that came in lightly from the southwest, which then increased in the late afternoon, when the rotation was towards the south. Well done to Sofia Gisele who, race after race, increased her self-confidence, obtaining the prestigious European Under 17 title after defending the bib for four days. I was talking about the importance of the starts and I must underline that, unfortunately, in this case the boys made too many mistakes. Claudio Crocco also did well, coming close to the podium, finishing fourth, eight places ahead of Lorenzo Ghirotti, who achieved some good placings. Giovanni Bedoni, who finished sixteenth, won the first race and achieved two thirds of the heats. The team also included Leo Floren, who performed well, scoring as Eighth among the Under 17s, while Leonardo Grossi finished sixteenth in the Silver category. The very young Giorgio Boggio qualified for the Bronze fleet. “Heartfelt congratulations to Erik Scheidt, son of a sailor and a Fraglia Vela Riva athlete until a few seasons ago, who won the overall rankings racing for Brazil,” commented Mauro Berteotti, Technical Director of Fraglia Vela Riva and coach of the ILCA Racing Team. We should also add that the overall victory in the women’s category was achieved by the talented Hermionie Ghicas.
“Sofia Gisele’s success in a competitive class like the ILCA fills the entire Fraglia Vela Riva family with pride: talented and always attached to the club, she has worked hard to achieve excellence, and successes like today’s, which serve as an example to younger generations, are a fitting reward for the commitment and dedication she has shown over the years. Heartfelt congratulations also to Mauro Berteotti, under whose guidance the ILCA Racing Team has experienced remarkable growth,” commented Fraglia Vela Riva President Chiara Carloni.
