Max Salminen, from Sweden, has secured his first Finn world title as the 2017 Opel Finn Gold Cup closes in Hungary, with an extremely close and intense medal race in light winds. Jonathan Lobert, from France took the silver while Nicholas Heiner, from The Netherlands, took bronze after leading the race from start to finish.
With racing cancelled over the past two day due to no wind, and with a reasonable wind forecast it was with some dismay that 117 sailors including Bermuda’s Rockal Evans took to the waters as the final day of racing arrived at Spartacus SC to a windless lake and a postponement. However it wasn’t long before an easterly wind was in place and the top 10 were sent out for the medal race.
The title was down to five sailors, with Salminen, Wright and Lobert with the best chances, and Heiner and Zsombor Berecz, from Hungary with outside chances. Sailed in 6-8 knots it was the kind of conditions the sailors had expected all week, and that many had trained for. Heiner was especially keen to sail in light winds and it was soon obvious why as he took the lead on the first upwind and never relinquished it. He had done everything needed to be in with a chance of a medal, now it just depended what happened behind him.
Evans started the day in 66th overall, with 360 points, he came off the water on Day Four in 69th place with 449 points, this after finish of 88th in the only race of the day.
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