Asi Maman
Ofek Elimelech (Photo – João Costa Ferreira – osga_photo)
At the end of an almost perfect day of sailing, windsurfer Ofek Elimelech from Eilat took first place in the European RSX Surfing Championships, which takes place in Portugal. The second day of the championship was characterized by a weak wind, which Elimelech took advantage of and reached twice the first place in the three cruises today (Wednesday) when he finished in second place in the additional cruise. This is a positive change of direction for Elimelech, after finishing the lone cruise of the first day in 17th place. The final score does not include the worst cruise of any surfer, so it is not considered in the overall ranking.
Elimelech, a member of the Israeli surfing team since 2017, is considered a strong surfer in light-medium surfing conditions in terms of wind. Therefore, the professional team hopes that the weather conditions will remain similar in the coming days. There are two more days of cruises ahead of Elimelech and the other Israeli surfers, until the medal cruise on Saturday, to which only the ten contestants ranked in the highest places in the championship ascend.
“I had an almost perfect day,” he said Elimelech At the end of the cruise day. “There was a very weak wind today and for us, the Israelis, it is an almost ‘home’ atmosphere. I am glad that I managed to get the best out of myself and am already waiting to continue the championship tomorrow.”
Simultaneously with the RSX cruise, the 470 Sailing World Championships are being held at the same location. The women’s team, which consists of a subscriber to Baram and Shachar Tibi, dropped one place today, to fourth place.
