Valtteri Uusitalo won the ILCA 7th class EC gold.
Valtteri Uusitalo has won the European Championship gold in sailing in the ILCA 7 class, i.e. the former Laser class, in Athens. The win can be considered a real surprise.
The EC regatta culminated in three final races on Friday. Uusitalo started the last day in fifth place and, at the end of a tight fight, won its first adult competition medal with a difference of four points to Hungary, who sailed for silver Jonatan to Vadnai.
– â This feels really good. There is a long journey behind us and many difficult years, so it feels very good to have such a success, Uusitalo beamed in the Sailing Association’s press release.
– Warmest congratulations to Valtteri for the amazing EC gold! This is a good continuation of the 19th place at the World Championships and shows that Valtteri has moved to a new level. He is one of Finland’s most promising young sailors with great potential, the top sports director of sailing Toni Roponen The Olympic Committee was happy.
Uusitalo, born in 2000, was already the best Finn, 19th, in the Adele World Championships earlier this year.
Uusitalo still won’t make it to the Olympics, because in the ILCA 7 class Finland’s Olympic representative has already been chosen Kaarle Tapper. Tapper did not participate in the EC regatta, but is already focusing on preparing for the main event of the year.
In addition, the Nacra 17 class duo has already been selected for the Olympics Sinem Kurtbay and Central axis.
Maapaikan Suomelle has also claimed the ILCA class Monika Mikkola. The competition for the last country spots for the Olympics will be held in April in Hyeres, France.
in the ILCA 7 class European Championships Aleksi Tapper sailed to 23rd place in the gold finals. Otto Dahlberg was the 53rd of the silver finals and Nooa Laukkanen 57:s. Noel Laukkanen sailed to 86th place in the bronze finals.
– Congratulations to my teammate Valtteri! I think my best performance was already lost in the Olympic selections a few months ago. Now we need a little distance, a raw analysis and then a look towards the future, Nooa Laukkanen thought.
Finland’s previous EC sailing medal in Olympic sports was Kurtbay and Keskinen’s EC silver in the Nacra 17 class in 2022. Finland’s previous EC gold in Olympic sailing categories was Sari Multala victory in 2008.