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Chernykh, Cooper, Kataev
The largest virtual regatta in Russia has completed. The winners of the Electronic Sails of Russia 2020 were Nikita Chernykh, Maxim Bondar and Denis Kataev.
At the Virtual Regatta Cup of Russia, more than 326 riders from 60 regions of Russia were divided into three age groups – under 14 and 18 years old, as well as over 18. On April 21 and 22, qualification races took place at the regatta, semi-finals took place on April 23, and final series in all test groups on April 24. In each series of racers, five races were waiting for one outburst of the worst result. Before the new stage of the regatta, the results of the previous one were burned. The finals were attended by 14-16 riders. Competitions were held on Star class yachts.
The youngest participants in the regatta were the first to start on the final day of the Electronic Sails 2020. In the final of the age group up to 14 years old, athletes of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sailing (7 people), as well as the Sochi secondary school No. 13 (4) prevailed. It was between them that the struggle for medals unfolded. The guys from the Northern capital were more successful in this rivalry. Nikita Chernykh and Andrei Shunenkov fought for the victory to the last, but Andrei’s departure from the third race was largely decisive. Nikita took advantage of the technical problems of his competitor and was three points ahead of him. The third was Rostislav Titov (Krasnodar).
“This regatta helps train strategy and tactics,” says Nikita Chernykh, the winner in the under-14 age category. – In the Virtual Regatta simulator, you know where the wind is coming from, just like in real life. Depending on this, you can choose the tactics and strategy, where exactly you will go in specific wind conditions. It can be seen that my rivals – Andrey and Rostislav – practiced a lot and knew almost all the cards. They won due to the fact that they always acted according to one strategy. I did not know many of the subtleties of this online simulator. I had to improvise. ”
In the age category up to 18 years of struggle for gold really did not work. In the first four races, the athlete of Krestovsky Island Maxim Bondar won two victories and twice came second. Six points earned him a victory for a clear advantage. Eight and ten points were lost to him by Vasily Bogdanov from Sevastopol and Academy athlete Egor Pakhmutov, who took second and third places, respectively.
“I decided to register for the regatta, because for me it was something new and unusual,” says silver medalist Vasily Bogdanov. – The competition started for me quite successfully, but in the final I managed to take only the second place. The guys fought with dignity. In the final there was very high competition. In quarantine, Virtual Regatta helps keep strategic and tactical skills the same. I hope that the Academy and the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg will continue to hold competitions of this format. "
The age category over 18 years is the most massive and representative on the Electronic Sails 2020. More than 170 athletes entered this group. Among the finalists were participants of the RC44 Championship Tour, National Sailing League, Sailing Champions League, World Cups and other famous regattas. The final series in this category became a real highlight of the Electronic Sails program and fully met the expectations of the fans. The fate of gold was decided in the very last race, and the denouement was unexpected even for the riders themselves.
It seemed to everyone that in the final race, the fight for gold was fought between an experienced specialist and sail expert Mikhail Fomin and Sochi racer Andrei Ignatenko. Athletes walked at the end of the fleet, but still continued to conduct a match flight with each other. In the course of the race, Fomin even specially waited for Ignatenko to decide the fate of the main prize in a fair fight at the final tack. Michael did not take into account only one thing – if he won the fifth race, he would be circumvented not only by Ignatenko, but also Denis Kataev. And if an experienced specialist really neutralized Ignatenko, then Kataev brought the race to victory and sensationally won the entire tournament.
“The opinion about the regatta is only positive, there are a lot of impressions,” says the winner Denis Kataev (Veliky Novgorod). – It was difficult for me to chase throughout all stages. In the final, I did not expect to win, did not follow the broadcast and could not calculate the result. I assumed that, having won the final race, I could be near the top three, but did not think about the final victory. I got lucky. I won not only the last race, but the entire regatta. "
The day after the finals, the organizers held an award ceremony in the form of a video conference with winners in each age category. On behalf of the organizers, the director of the Academy of Sailing Mikhail Khristianovsky addressed the racers. He greeted the athletes and thanked them for participating in the regatta. Recall that the winner in each group will receive 10 thousand rubles, a silver medalist – 7 thousand, and a bronze medal – 5 thousand.
Alexey Zhirov
The results can be found on the website of the Academy of Sailing –
www.sailing-academy.ru
64 Today # 10089
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