2018 Hansa Class World Championships wraps up

Hiroshima, Japan hosted the 2018 Hansa Class World and International Championships, welcoming 191 sailors from 24 countries at Kannon Marina.

Chris Ruston from Australia claimed the Hansa 2.3 Single Person title with Lindsay Burns of Great Britain and Australia’s Neil Rowsthorn completing the podium.
 
Piotr Cichocki (POL) missed out on 2018 Para World Sailing Championships gold in the Hansa 303 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA to Australia’s Christopher Symonds but he gained his revenge in Japan.
 
The Polish racer managed to defeat the Australian by a single point to claim the world championship title. Takumi Niwa (JPN) took third and was one of three Japanese sailors who claimed a medal on home waters.
 
In the Hansa 303 Two-Person, Japan’s Yuna Nakayama and Sarina Shibata took gold for the home nation. Michael Darby and Christopher Symonds (AUS) and Patrick Maurer and Christian Hiller (SUI) took silver and bronze.
 
Bob Schahinger (AUS) won the Liberty single person and was followed by Gerard Eychenne (FRA) and Vera Voorbach (NED).
 
Ahead of the Championships, the Japanese Sailing Federation hosted sailors and coaches for the third Paralympic Development Program clinic of 2018.
 
Nine Sailors and six coaches from Japan, Macau, Indonesia, Thailand, Estonia and Czech Republic took part in the five day clinic. Sessions were led by World Sailing Training and Delivery Manager, Rob Holden and invited coach Grant Alderson (AUS). International Classifier Bernard Destrube (FRA) also attended the clinic.
 
The clinic helped to support the sailors and coaches at the Championships.
 
The next Hansa Class World & International Championship will be held in Newport, California, USA in October 2020.

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