The 2022 Arkas Optimist Team Racing Championship concluded on the fifth day of the 2022 Arkas Optimist World Championship. There was great excitement for the races, it was clear how important this event is for sailors. Each country fought fiercely.
There was excitement for Team Bermuda as they made it to Day 2 of team racing, along with 15 other teams including, the United States of America (USA), Türkiye (TUR), Ukraine (UKR), Thailand (THA), Sweden (SWE), Peru (PER), Slovenia (SLO), Brazil (BRA), Spain (ESP), Denmark (DEN), Japan (JPN), Italy (ITA), Greece (GRE), France (FRA) and Germany (GER).
The weather fluctuated wildly throughout today's races. Initially, conditions were much calmer than yesterday as the first races started around 11 am. Towards the middle of the day, the wind speed increased to practically ideal team racing conditions, only to fall to challenging still winds. The weather brought an additional level of difficulty and chaos to the sailors.
Yesterday, 48 teams entered the competition, and all but 16 teams were eliminated. After another round of eliminations this morning, five teams remained; the USA, Thailand, Ukraine, Turkey, and Sweden. The United States, as the first seed, was given a pass directly to the finals. Thailand and Ukraine were paired together, resulting in a narrow win by the Ukrainian team. Turkey and Sweden faced off in an exciting match themselves. Sweden triumphed over the Turkish team.
The final rounds started with a Ukrainian win over Sweden, pairing the United States with Ukraine for the final match. The well-rested Americans won over the Ukrainian team, taking the 2002 Arkas Optimist Team Racing Championship title. The USA last won the Team Racing Worlds was in 2016 and 2017. In the final standings, Ukraine placed second and Sweden third.
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