2017 SYC Shanghai Cup and Nacra 17 Asian Championship has come to a successful close today (29th October). 12 teams of 24 top sailors from Austria, New Zealand, Brazil, Italy, Denmark, the U.S., Germany, Singapore, China and Hong Kong, China have competed with all their might in the past two days. And eight intense races, Team Italy eventually defeated other teams and won the trophy of “Shanghai Cup”. Team USA and Team Denmark respectively claimed the second and third place.
The temperature today was 16 degrees, and the wind speed was about 5-6 knots on average with gusts of 10 knots. After yesterday’s race, the sailors have all adapted quickly to the new racing environment on Huangpu River( from Gongping Road Ferry Pier to Yangtze River Pier, about 1.5 km in length), and gave out their very best performance today. The changeability of the wind and the swinging gust area brought dramatic effects to the game.
A wealth of buildings with exotic architecture style line the bank of Huangpu River, which make the Bund “the Exhibition of World Architecture”. And across the river lie numerous soaring skyscrapers. They form a perfect combination of modernity and history, which offers the audience a fresh and unprecedented experience. However, on the other hand, buildings alongside the river hugely influence on the wind condition, making it more changeable. Thus, strategy and skill are of great significance, and the choice of route is crucial. Being faced with new racing environment, unstable water and wind conditions, the sailors adjusted themselves in response to the situation and showed their composure. The scoring gaps were quite narrow and the competition for the first place was rather fierce.
In the two-day race, the Italian partners Ruggero Tita/Caterina Baniti tried with their very best in every round and with their subtle and silky style and well-planned strategy, they won the glory of the first place eventually. Riley Gibbs and Louisa Chafee from America won the 5th place in this year’s Nacra17 World Cup. In this event, their performance fluctuated a lot, and according to the average score, they ranked highly at the second place and won the silver medal. Annet Viborg and Mathias Borreskov from Team 1 of Denmark won the bronze medal. Besides, Team Austria, New Zealand, Team 2 of Denmark, Team Brazil, Team 2 of China, Team Germany, Team Singapore, Team Hong Kong, Team 1 of China respectively ranked from the fourth to the twelfth place. Zhou Jie/ Dong Ying, Shi Junjie/Hu Xiaoxiao from SYCR Nacra17 sailing team, paired up respectively and represented China to participate in the game, showcasing the spirit of Chinese sailors to the world. This is a milestone of SYCR’s exploration from popularizing the sport to cultivating professional athletes. In the fifth round of game, Shi Junior/Hu Xiaoxiao from Team 2 of China gradually stepped into their best state and finally made it as the first place for the round.
The awarding ceremony was held at Zhiyang section of Riverside Green Space. The president of China Yachting Association,Ms. Zhang Xiaodong, The president of World Sailing International Nacra 17 Class Association, Marcus Spillane, The Director of Shanghai Hongkou District Administration of Sports, Ms. Zhou Jing, and president of Asian Sailing Federation, Mr.Malav Shroff ,awarded the golden medal winners; The president of Shanghai Yuyuan Jewelry Group Itd,Mr. Sun Yunfei, and Chaiman of Shanghai Yacht Club & Resort,Mr. Shi Lixian awarded the sailors winning the second place; The marketing director of Bright Dairy &Food Co,Ltd,Gong Qun,and marketing director of Yunnan Metropolitan Construction Investment Group,Ms. Yang Mingyan awarded the bronze medal winners. Shi Junjie and Hu Xiaoxiao from Team 2 of China won the prize of Best Asian Team and were awarded by Mr. Malav Shroff, president of Asian Yachting Federation. Congratulations to the sailors!
2017 SYC Shanghai Cup and Nacra 17 Asian Championship originates from the first international sailing regatta “Shanghai Cup”held by Shanghai Yacht Club (SYC) in 1873. This glorious comeback after 144 years aimed at passing on the cultural heritage of water sports lasting a century, and building a globally recognized brand of international sailing race whose IP is owned by Shanghai. The whole success of this event added glamour to Shanghai’s image as host city of major international sports events, and exhibited Shanghai’s major achievements on culture, modernization and environmental protection to China, Asia and the world. In addition, the rebuilding of the brand helped Shanghai in developing itself into a world famous sports city, and would continuously drive up the Chinese people’s passion about sailing and promote water sports represented by sailing.
