Sailors Tita and Banti defend Nacra 17 world title, Okada and Yoshioka win 470 gold for Japan as Paris 2024 berths secured
GB claimed silver in the Nacra 17 class at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in the Netherlands on Thursday with Sweden winning bronze, while nine Paris 2024 quota berths were also secured; eight mixed dinghy Olympic spots were also obtained in 470, which saw Spain claim silver and a second Japanese team round out the podium.
Sailing
Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti of Italy crossed the finish line first in the medal race at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in the Netherlands on Thursday (17 August) to defend their world title from 2022 in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull class with an almost perfect card, live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com.
Dropping just one point in the nine races prior to the medal race, the pair won the tenth and final race to beat world number ones John Gimson and Anna Burnet of Great Britain who secured silver.
The top two spots were pretty much decided before the medal race, with only the bronze medal realistically up for grabs.
Sweden's Emil Jarudd and Hanna Jonsson managed to hang on to third place ahead of the young pairing of Laila van der Meer and Bjarne Bouwer on home water and Italy's Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari.
The top nine nations secured berths in the Nacra 17 class for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – with a limit of one quota per National Olympic Committee per event – as the Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, and Spain joined medallists Italy, Great Britain and Sweden in obtaining spots. France already has a quota spot as host nation.
The race also saw the final outing of sailing legend, Santiago Lange who competed in seven Olympic Games, winning Olympic gold at Rio 2016 for Argentina after fighting back from cancer.
- Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
- As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
2023 Sailing World Championship – Nacra 17 results
1 Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti ITA 31 points
2 John Gimson and Anna Burnet GBR 57 points
3 Emil Jarudd and Hanna Jonsson SWE 66 points
4 Laila van der Meer and Bjarne Bouwer NED 71 points
5 Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari ITA 76 points
6 Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei ITA 81 points
7 Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer GER 85 points
8 Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson NZL 93 points
9 Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco ARG 93 points
10 Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen FIN 99 points
Okada Keiju and Yoshioka Miho win 470 world title
Another dominant pairing at this week's world championships, the Japanese duo of Okada Keiju and Yoshioka Miho, were 38 points ahead of their nearest rival heading into 470 mixed dinghy medal race, so a fifth-place finish was quite enough for the pair to secure the world title.
Isozaki Tetsuya and Seki Yurie joined their world champion compatriots on the podium with bronze, with a sensational pick up from fifth to third, while Spain's Jordi Xammar Hernandez and Nora Brugman Cabot split the Japanese in silver medal position.
The final medal race winners, Israel's Nitai Hasson and Noa Lasry finished the competition in seventh overall.
The defending world champions Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth of Germany finished ninth.
The top eight nations who secured Paris 2024 quota berths in the 470 class – bearing in mind a limit of one quota per National Olympic Committee per event – are Japan, Spain, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Israel, Portugal, and Switzerland. France already have a quota spot as host nation.
2023 Sailing World Championship – 470 results
1 Okada Keiju and Yoshioka Miho JPN 50 points
2 Jordi Xammar Hernandez and Nora Brugman Cabot ESP 86 points
3 Isozaki Tetsuya and Seki Yurie JPN 91 points
4 Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr AUT 93 points
5 Malte Winkel and Anastasiya Winkel GER 94 points
6 Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson SWE 95 points
7 Nitai Hasson and Noa Lasry ISR 98 points
8 Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort GER 98 points
9 Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth GER 114 points
10 Costa and Joao POR 116 points
Sailing: The road to Paris 2024
The 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships serve as the primary Olympic Qualifier event in Sailing.
A total of 107 quotas will be awarded during the ten days of competition in The Hague and this represents nearly a third of the total number of quotas at stake during the year leading up to the commencement of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
These quotas will be allocated to the highest-placed NOCs as follows, with a limit of one quota per NOC per event.
Next up at the 2023 Sailing World Championships
Friday August 18
- Racing Day: Windsurfing Men, Windsurfing Women, Kite Men, Kite Women, Men’s Dinghy, Women’s Dinghy
- Medal Race: Men’s Skiff, Women’s Skiff
Saturday August 19
- Medal Race: Windsurfing Men, Windsurfing Women, Kite Men, Kite Women
- Reserve Day: Men’s Dinghy, Women’s Dinghy
Sunday August 20
- Medal Race: Men’s Dinghy, Women’s Dinghy
- Reserve Medal Race: Windsurfing Men, Windsurfing Women, Kite Men, Kite Women
How to watch the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships
The 2023 Allianz World Sailing Championships are live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions apply), with highlights and replays also available.
Digital livestream coverage will be available worldwide on the World Sailing YouTube Channel and several broadcasters such as Eurosport/Discovery or SuperSport.
In the United States of America, WAPA America retains the rights of the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships while the Sports Channel Network has them in the United Kingdom.
You can find the full list of broadcasters here.