The 52nd edition of the Princess Trophy Sofia will start her Olympic week this Monday in Palma de Mallorca. The mixed 470, ILCA 7, ILCA 6 and iQFOiL male and female will begin to compete in a Palma bay that will bring together a total of 669 sailors aboard 597 boats. The best sailors in the world will meet until next Saturday with the intention of checking the evolution of their rivals in a clear path to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In this Sofia the First Trophy, Spain looks like a clear candidate for the podium in at least six classes. Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman in a mixed 470; Diego Botín and Florian Trittel in 49er; Támara Echegoyen and Paula Barceló at 49er FX; Pilar Lamadrid in Women’s iQFOiL; Gisela Pulido in Women’s Formula Kite; and Tara Pacheco and Andrés Barrio in Nacra 17 are the main national assets. “Sofía is very important for all sailors because it is the first big regatta in which you analyze and evaluate the work that has been done in the preseason and you can see where you are compared to the rivals, which is also very important in an Olympic campaign as short as this”, commented Jordi Xammar who, together with Nora Brugman, aspires to revalidate last year’s victory in this regatta. In the year of their debut as a crew, in addition to being crowned champions of the Princesa Sofía they won silver in the World Cup and the European Championship. This makes them one of the pairs to watch, like the world gold medalists in the category, Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth (Germany), and the European champions, Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson (Sweden).
The other Spanish couple on the list in this mixed 470 will be Silvia Mas, who will sail with a new crew member, Pablo García from Gran Canaria, due to Nico Rodríguez’s injury. “We have had a good preseason, seeing a little how we are compared to the rest of the fleet and how it has evolved compared to last year, and obviously we would like to win Sofia again. In addition, the bay of Palma encompasses many conditions; if you get a good result here it means that you are capable of all wind and waves”, explained Brugman.
Another Spanish duo to follow is the one formed by Diego Botín and Florian Trittel. In the last course, in 49er, they were proclaimed European champions and they hung the world silver. His main rivals will be Bart Lambriex and Floris van der Werken (Holland), winners of the last two world championships; James Peters and Fynn Sterritt (Great Britain), Sime and Mihovil Fantela (Croatia); and Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn (New Zealand). As for the 49er FX, Támara Echegoyen and Paula Barcelona are a guarantee. After fourth place in Tokyo 2020 they took a break to reset and returned months ago through the front door with the World Cup bronze. During this previous week they have not been able to train at the highest level due to Echegoyen’s health problems, but they are the favorites along with Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz (Holland), winners of the last two world titles, and the two-time Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (Brazil).
the sevillana Pilar Lamadrid is the other great Spanish asset, in the Women’s iQFOiL class. Last year she was second in the Princess Sofia Trophy and for this edition she warned that “I am ready to give everything”. The winner of Sofia 2022, Hélène Noesmoen (France), and the current world gold medalist, Marta Maggetti (Italy), are also candidates for the podium, along with Shahar Tibi (Israel) and Emma Wilson (Great Britain). As for Gisela Pulido, in Women’s Formula Kite, she will also be in the spotlight. The Catalan is backed by the ten world titles won in freestyle and now he is into kitesurfing with the aim of making his Olympic dream come true. Last season she got her first medal in this class, the European bronze, in a class dominated by Lauriane Nolot (France) and Daniela Moroz (United States). Lastly, she is the new couple from Nacra 17 formed by Tara Pacheco and Andrés Barrio. The experienced Canarian skipper was seventh in Tokyo 2020 together with Florian Trittel and then tried her luck with Iago López-Marra, a former 49er crew member of Diego Botín. Since the end of 2022 she has been sailing with Barrio, also from the 49er. They will seek to stand out in this 52nd Princess Sofia Trophy against the three Tokyo 2020 Olympic medalists in this class of catamaran with foils: Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (Italy), John Gimson and Anna Burnet (Great Britain), and Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer (Germany).
Cruisers and one design say goodbye to the bay of Palma
Sal (J80), Patakin (J70), Stella (6 Meters), Mr. Nova (Dragon), Santina (ORC 1-3), Abracadabra (ORC 4-5) and Kyo V (A2) were proclaimed champions of the 52nd Trophy Princess Sofia of cruises and monotypes this Sunday. The strong northwesterly wind was the protagonist of the third and last day of competition with gusts of more than 25 knots in the bay of Palma. At times, the intensity was such that the 6 Meter and Dragon categories could not navigate so as not to put crews and boats at risk. The J70 and J80 one-designs completed three windward/leeward tasks and the cruisers completed a coastal run.
