Greek Panagopoulos crowned 2024 Optimist World Champion in thrilling finish
The final day of the 2024 Optimist World Championship, held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, saw cloudy skies but a steady 12-knot breeze from the southeast. Brazilian Arthur Back, who led since the second day, faced a challenging task with an 11-point advantage and three races scheduled.
In the first race, Back finished 13th, while his closest rival, Spaniard Mateo Carbonell, placed 11th. Greek Iason Panagopoulos delivered a strong performance, finishing 2nd and moving into second place overall, just 7 points behind Back.
The second race, which ultimately proved to be the final race of the championship due to the 3 p.m. time limit on the last day, began around 2 p.m. The wind remained shifty. Back opted to start closer to the race committee boat with most of his rivals near the pin edge, but a wind shift to the left hindered his progress. He rounded the first mark in 23rd place, while Panagopoulos was in 16th and Carbonell in 35th. In the second beat, Back protected the left side, but Panagopoulos demonstrated exceptional skills, sailing the shifts effectively and finishing 4th. Back placed 24th, and Carbonell 25th.
These results crowned Iason Panagopoulos as the 2024 World Optimist Champion with 47 points. Brazilian Arthur Back finished second with 56 points, and Spaniard Mateo Carbonell placed fourth with 69 points.
The awards ceremony was held at 6:30 p.m. in the central court of the Club Náutico Mar del Plata. Spain was awarded the Team Champion title and the Nations Trophy for the highest-ranked country in the individual standings. The Spanish sailor, Marta Mansito, secured first place in the women’s classification (Helen Mary Wilkes Trophy), overtaking Greek Maria Makri in the final race.
During the ceremony, Championship Chairman Matías Capizzano expressed his gratitude to all volunteers and club staff and congratulated the competitors for sailing the challenging and varied conditions throughout the week.
IODA President Kevin Whitcraft awarded the new world champion, delivered the closing speech, and passed the IODA flag to the organizers of the next World Championship in Slovenia. Additionally, Whitcraft presented a special award to Ilker Bayindir, who retired after 12 years as a dedicated member of the Regatta Committee, recognizing his invaluable contributions to the Optimist sailing community.
This is how a brilliant Optimist World Championship organized by the Club Náutico Mar del Plata and the IODA concluded.
To check complete results: https://2024worlds.optiworld.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall
