The last race of the Mistral Class European Championships took place today with 3 metres of wind coming from an eastern direction and confirmed what was outlined from the first day: the winning of Hong Kong in the overall ranking, and the continental title won by Marco Casagrande, who races for the Albaria Club, and who was constantly behind the Asians. Five days of intense and hard regattas with young and well coached teams as Hong Kong one those confirm how Mistral One Design continues to be a pretty important and considered class in the world of windsurf. Today the European Championship, tomorrow the Mistral Junior and Youth Worlds who will call again in Sicily many young athletes who still sail on the One Design.

The young Chinese team who won the overall ranking in Mondello was helped by a constant light wind, an excellent athletic preparation and from Bruce Kendall's technical advice, who was always precise in verifying the wind conditions before the races and who prepared briefings for the athletes from one race to another from his dinghy in the middle of the sea. Cheng Kwok Fai, the overall winner, and his team mates attacked right from the first race leaving nothing to catch up on for those behind. Amongst these was Marco Casagrande, the Italian and European leader who decided at twenty-nine years old to take this prestigious title to add on to his career, he has already stood out in other windsurf races from 1990, with the junior world championships, the European raceboard, and many National championships.

Casagrande was always behind the Chinese train. In changing the results on the European podium was the Greeks Giakas e Soloutzidakis who after the first day made way for the young Israeli team and to Alessandro Alberti, who was unlucky in the second last day, he had a good day today with fifth place in the last race, thirteenth place in the overall results and sixth in the European ranking.

Omri Hazor and Shlomi Ayubi in the '88 and '89 class took a silver and bronze medal, these two athletes are important elements for Israel, they are on the International windsurf scene. The Gold medal taken by Gal Fridman has clearly left a positive sign for Israeli surfers.

In the women's category, an overall victory for Chan Wai Kei, while the European title went to the young Greek girl Anastasia Davrou who won her battle against the Israeli Sivan Davidovich. In third place was another Greek girl, Maria Papadaki, who beat Valentina Failla from Palermo with only one point more.

The best youth athlete was the Chinese boy Ma Kwok Po, while Omri Hazor takes the best European category. Davrou took the best junior female category while Marcantonio Baglione was the first junior male. Paco Wirz won the master category and Rosario Cinquegrani the grand master one.

With the Mistral European Championships finished, tomorrow the Sicily Grand Prix begins, a race which has become a real classic in Mondello, the results of this race will help build up the results in the Nation Cup which still sees Hong Kong strongly in the lead, followed by Israel, Greece, Italy and Korea. In this race there will be the debut of the new Olympic board RS:X.

Complete results available at www.wwfestival.com

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