Fifteen-year-old Katrina Micallef wrote history for Maltese sailing and the Royal Malta Yacht Club when she finished in third place at the U16 2023 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships, hosted by the Nautical Club of Volos & Argonauts in Greece.
Micallef, who recently moved up to the ILCA 4 Class, having obtained several years of racing experience in the Optimist Class, finished in 12th place overall, in a 150-strong fleet. Last June, Micallef also won the gold medal in the Games of the Small States of Europe, which took place in Malta.
Throughout the six-day championship, crews experienced a variety of sailing conditions with wind speeds ranging from 6 to 14 knots.
“We are very proud of Katrina’s result. These championships brought together hundreds of athletes from around the world, amongst which are future Olympians. Such results are great news for such homegrown talent,” remarked Alexandr Denisiuc, Coach and Committee Member at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
An excellent showing was produced by Benjamin Vassallo (Malta Young Sailors Club) who also finished in 12th overall place in a fleet of 287 sailors.
The Maltese sailors were assisted by RMYC Sailing School coaches Ruya Cakmakli and Alexandr Denisiuc.
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