Sailing: 3rd Al-kharafi International Laser/Optimist Open Regatta-Podium finish for Julie |20 December 2004

Occupying fifth place after the sixth race, Julie, who finished 20th overall in the 42-sailor open single-handed dinghy Laser class of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece, in early September, had a first place in race number seven.

Finishing with a nett 34 points, Julie’s other results were as follows: third place in race nine, fourth place in races one, six and eight, fifth place in races three and five, eighth place in race four and 10th place in race two which was discarded.
It is to note that Julie was taking part in his first competition in three months and had expected to put up a strong challenge for a top-three finish.

The gold medal was won by Greek Antonios Bougiouris with 12 points after four first places, four second place finishes and a third position.

Russian C. Semerkhanov, who led the standing after six races, settled for the runner-up berth and the silver medal with 15 points.

Twenty-one sailors competed in the Laser class, with 17-year-old Sri Lankan Dias Rehan winning the youngest sailor award, while that for the oldest sailor went to 65-year-old Austrian Earnest Prachatik.

Rehan occupied 20th position with 174 points and Prachatik 17th place with 153 points at the end of the five-day competition organised by the Kuwait Sea Sports Club.

G. G.