Daily Digest: Spain rule the Saundersfoot waves with four gold medals

The 2022 World Beach Sprint Finals concluded on Sunday with five medal events. Spain ended on top of the medal ranking with four gold medals and one silver, ahead of Tunisia with two golds, a silver and bronze. Hosts Great Britain failed to win a gold, but were the only nation to put a boat in the Last 8 of all nine events. However, racing ended early for safety reasons as the wind and waves strengthened at the bottom of the tide, causing several capsizes and significant challenges for the athletes.

Bak comes back stronger after 2021 error

Last year Christopher Bak (USA) missed a buoy in the quarterfinals and was eliminated. That mistake drove him through a year of training and paid off with gold in an intense Coastal Men’s Solo (CM1x) competition, where he dealt superbly with the conditions to win gold. Bak said afterwards his mistake – and support from 2021 champion Giovanni Ficarra (ITA), who he beat in the quarterfinal – had driven him to the victory. Tunisia’s Mohamed Taeib took silver after winning a semifinal where he and Gregor Hall (GBR) both got blown off course and crossed lanes. Joel Naukkarinen (FIN) won bronze with smart tactics, beating Hall despite a very long sprint from a wide landing.

Twigg wins gold after racing cancelled

The Coastal Women’s Solo (CW1x) got through two quarterfinals before racing was cancelled as conditions had simply become too dangerous to keep racing, Tunisia’s Khadija Krimi having capsized hard, and Sarah Pidgen (CAN) and Karien Robbers (NED) blown off their lines. Emma Twigg (NZL), who posted by far the fastest time in the repechages, was awarded gold ahead of Helen Glover (GBR). Michala Pospisilova (CZE) was third after a strong showing in the time trial and repechage. All three medallists are flat-water converts, and all said they would be keen to come back for more beach sprints.

Spain take a third title as USA claim silver

Spain’s Marcos Delgado Marquez and Ricardo Gonzalez Bermudez made the best of the tricky conditions throughout the Under-19 Coastal Men’s Double Sculls (CJM2x) competition, and faced the USA’s Gary Rought and Malachi Anderson in the final. With Spain leading into the finish, the USA were spun sideways by a gust, securing the win for their opponents. Meanwhile Great Britain’s Robert Collen just had the extra speed to beat Zakaria Bouzid-Daho (FRA) on the sand for bronze, after a close B-final in which the British held the lead before losing it on the turn, leading to both boats landing together.

 Smooth sailing for Spain in Under 19 Women’s Doubles

Less than an hour after their compatriots had won the CJM2x title, Miranda Torres Pujante and Paula Espinosa Linares (ESP) added another gold to the Spanish trophy cabinet in the Under 19 Coastal Women’s Double Sculls (CJW2x). The Spaniards handled the waves better than the rest of the field, finishing with a margin of more than 10 seconds in all three of their races. Monika Bundschu and Elisa Romer (GER) took silver. In the B-final, the lead held by Annelise Hahl and Annalie Duncomb (USA) was almost cut when they got blown around close to the finish – only for the same thing to happen to Isabel Lancaster and Elisabeth Sekinger (GBR), meaning the USA held on for bronze.

Under 19 Coastal Mixed Double Sculls (CMix2x)

With the tide out and the wind blowing hard the last eight of the Under 19 Coastal Mixed Double Sculls (CJMix2x) had challenging conditions to deal with. Italy’s Quaranta siblings, Alessandra and Michaelangelo, dealt best with the waves and emerged victorious from a close final against Spain. Tunisia’s Hela Belhaje Mohamed and Mohamed Rayen Hafsa collected a second medal each with bronze, after their golds in the solo event yesterday. The USA threw everything at the bronze medal race, including swimming for the finish, but to no avail.