US claim team gold in Abu Dhabi as individual battles heat up

ABU DHABI: Italian hopes of a gold medal at the 2023 Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship were dashed on Saturday as the US carried off the overall team title in Abu Dhabi.

The American quartet of Sander Block, Finnegan Grainger, William Whidden and Sophia Alexopoulos won the opening two matches in the best-of-three final to beat an Italian team that included the regatta’s individual leader, Mattia Di Martino.

At the end of a 31-match competitive format, which concluded in fading light, Thailand finished in the bronze medal position and also claimed the Asian championship title ahead of Singapore, with Malaysia and the UAE tied for third place.

None of the triumphant American teams had finished inside the top 20 standings at the conclusion of the five-race individual qualifiers.

Light winds have been a feature of the regatta, which is being staged by Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club for the first time, but Di Martino had shown an ability to perform in all conditions on his way to four qualifying race victories.

Lying second in the race for the individual gold, Spain’s Joan Domingo grabbed the initiative in today’s first of the final group of fleet races, with Di Martino having to settle for eighth place.

Thailand’s Chanatip Tongglum, holding the bronze medal position at the end of the qualifiers, was black-flagged for a race infringement, but the top three were still locked in a tense battle for gold.

Finishing on Sunday, the event is sponsored by Abu Dhabi Ports and Al-Mariah Bank and hosted by ADMSC in cooperation with the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, the Asian Sailing Federation, and Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

The regatta is the continental championship for Asian and Oceanian nation members of the