French Olympic Week delivered an exciting opening day of racing as light winds greeted the fleet in Hyères for the second stop of the Sailing Grand Slam. Three races were completed, with Italians Elena Berta and Giulio Calabrò taking a commanding lead to set the tone for the regatta.
Berta and Calabrò, known for their consistency, once again started the event in impressive fashion. The Italian duo posted finishes of 3rd, 1st, and 10th across the three races. Close behind are British pair Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris, who have demonstrated excellent form since the start of the season. Rounding out the podium are fellow Italians Giacomo Ferrari and Alessandra Dubbini, who sailed consistently by staying within the top ten in every race.
One of the biggest surprises of the day was the impressive debut of Afrodite Zegers-de Kleine, who has returned to competition after a long break. The Tokyo Olympian is competing in France alongside Filippos Koulouris, and the pair currently sit in a strong 7th place overall, including an excellent 2nd-place finish in the opening race. The lighter wind conditions on day one appeared to suit them well.
“What a day! First day of racing for me after a really long time, with a crew that we did three trainings together. Actually, I was really happy to just be back and race again and play the game,” said Afrodite Zegers.
“We tried not to take a lot of risks on the start and upwind. And of course, the other teams are really trained, the level is high, and we are getting used to sailing together. Some basic stuff we cannot really do yet, but I’m really, really happy also with Philippos for stepping in.”
Zegers also highlighted the young age of her crewmate, who is rising to the challenge. “He’s such a young sailor, 19, and he did 420 and only just a little bit of 470. And he’s been really a legend on trying to adapt and sail well under pressure. I’m really grateful to just be here. It’s sunny, and I can play the game again, as I said, and do tactics. So I’m just really happy that the first impression is that, at least in these conditions, the very light conditions, we are competitive.”
“I think in the breeze it’s going to be a bit difficult because we are quite light. But step by step, every day is a new day, and we’ll just do our best. Hopefully, tomorrow’s two good races, and then we can continue with the top of the fleet.”
After the first day, it is also worth noting the strong performance of the Swiss team, Yves Mermod and Maja Siegenthaler, currently in 5th place. The sailors only resumed training this year after a longer break following the Paris Olympics. Just outside the top ten, in 11th place, is another promising young crew: Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio.
