Kusznierewicz and Prada win Star Worlds

Porto Cervo, Italy (June 22, 2019) – The 97th edition of the Star Class World Championship ended with a victory for Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada in the sixth and final race, giving them the title over 63 teams from 20 nations.

Just before 12.00 noon, the scheduled time for the day’s start, the Race Committee hoisted the AP Flag. The start, after two General Recalls, was at about 3 PM when the wind from the northwest filled in. The breeze was at 16 to 20 knots, peaking at 22 knots towards the end of the race.

For Kusznierewicz and Prada, in a week where their best placement had been a second in the second race, today they started in the lead and after rounding the mark lengthened their distance from the rest of the fleet finishing well ahead of the other teams. Augie Diaz and Henry Boening, who entered the final race with a four point lead, dropped to second after posting a 7th.

Kusznierewicz was already Star Class World Champion in 2008 so this is his second title while Bruno Prada has made Star Class history by winning this title five times. Diaz was Star Class World Champion in 2016 while Boening is currently the Star Class European Champion.

Diaz did receive first prize as a Star Class Gran Master, a recognition that is reserved for Star sailors who are over 60.

“We are really happy to have won this Championship, it’s almost incredible when I think that this is the first time I have raced with Bruno (Prada),” noted Kusznierewicz. “Our aim was to give it our all and never give up and that’s what we did. From start to finish, even when we were behind in the fleet we always managed to recover and finish well. We knew that every result counted and this is a sweet taste of success for us.”

“We never think about the overall victory or about the records we can break when we’re racing,” shared Prada. “This win is especially significant for me and I’m really happy, but the most important thing is that I do it all for my children and for my friends. I hope to give them an example that inspires them to do their best because you can get great results even if you’re not a superhero: the important thing is to fight for what you want.”

Six races were held from June 17 to 22.

Mateusz Kusznierewicz (right) and Bruno Prada winners at the Star World Championship 2019. Photo credit: YCCS/Studio Borlenghi

Final Results (Top 10 of 63; 6 races, 1 discard)
1. POL Mateusz Kusznierewicz/ Bruno Prada, 6-2-(11) 3-4-1, 16 points
2. USA Augie Diaz/ Henry Boening (Gran Master), (10)-1-4-4-2-7, 18
3. NOR Eivind Melleby/ Joshua Revkin, 4-(11)-1-5.3/RDG-11-3, 24.3
4. CRO Marin Misura/ Tonko Barac, (22)-10-9-1-3-11, 34
5. ITA Diego Negri/ Sergio Lambertenghi, 2-16-(17)-8-1-12, 39
6. USA Paul Cayard/ Artur Lopes (Gran Master), 19-5-8-(64/BFD)-9-2, 43
7. ESP Roberto Bermudez De Castro/ Miguel Fernandez Vasco, 3-(28)-6-15-10-15, 49
8. IRL Torvar Mirsky/ Robert O’Leary, 16-8-10-16-8-(21), 58
9. ITA Enrico Chieffi/ Manlio Corsi (Master), 1-(26)-13-13-23-18, 68
10. AUT Hans Spitzauer/ Christian Nehammer (Master), 15-14-27-9-(64/BFD)-5, 70

Event details – Results – Tracking – Photos

Source: YCCS