Gaya Datiashvili Finishes Seventh at European Youth Sailing Championship in Greece

The Israeli youth sailing team competed in the European Youth Championship held recently in Thessaloniki, Greece, with notable performances in the ILCA6 class. Gaya Datiashvili from Hapoel Zevulun Akko led the delegation by finishing seventh among 90 female competitors, continuing her consistent presence among Europe's top youth sailors. She started strong with a win in the first race but faced challenges including a 35th place in the second race and a disqualification in the fourth. Nevertheless, she stabilized her performance, securing a spot in the gold and silver fleet and achieving top finishes in the final races, including third and first places in the initial final heats.

Datiashvili has shown steady progress over the past two years, previously placing fourth in the European Championship and tenth in the Youth World Championship this year. The boys' team also showed improvement, with Yehav Geva from Hapoel Zevulun Akko finishing 11th, the best Israeli result in the boys' category, including two wins in preliminary races and a second place in the final race. Gal Einav from Hapoel Tel Aviv placed 15th. These results mark a significant advancement compared to last year’s standings.

Coach Nofar Adelman Shmueli praised the sailors' high-level capabilities and noted some disappointment due to inconsistent results and a disqualification that prevented an even better outcome for Datiashvili. The team of 12 sailors (10 boys and 2 girls) faced light to moderate wind conditions in a highly competitive field of 89 girls and 225 boys. The Israeli Sailing Association aims to continue developing young sailors in the ILCA class with an eye toward major international events and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic campaign.

The full Israeli team results included Rebeca Mental (46th) among the girls, and among the boys: Yehav Geva (11th), Gal Einav (15th), Noam Lehat (55th), Oded Shaked (65th), Noam Chen (66th), Yeh-Li Lavkovich (71st), Liam Stern (93rd), Ohad Holside (113th), Idan Kortler (124th), and Golan Datiashvili (174th). The team was led by coaches Nofar Adelman Shmueli, Sagie Tripman, and Maor Ben Harush.