Singapore clean sweep at 2012 Asian Optimist Championships

At the 2012 Asian Optimist Championship held in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from 2nd to 10th June, the Singapore Optimist Team has swept all titles at stake, continuing a fine run at major Optimist events around the world.

The Singapore team comprised Loh Jia Yi, Elisa Yukie Yokoyama, Jessica Goh, Scott Lau, Edward Tan Yizhu, Ryan Teo and Samuel Neo.

2012 Asian Optimist Girls’ Champion Yukie Yokoyama (SIN 33) and 2012 Asian Optimist Champion Loh Jia Yi (SIN 5172).

Team Racing
The team secured the first title of the event by defeating Thailand in the finals. A most delightful win, especially after having lost to Thailand narrowly at the 2011 finals. The steely comeback after a year, with some new team members echos the depth of the squad.

Individual Racing
With strong leads going into the final day of racing, Loh Jia Yi and Elisa Yukie Yokoyama finished strongly to take the top 2 positions in the open fleet. With Yukie claiming the overall girl’s crown as well.

With four Singaporeans finishing in the top 10 – Jessica Goh in 6th and Scott Lau in 9th, the team stems its presence in the overall standings.

Great effort from Edward Tan (26th), Ryan Teo (32nd) and Samuel Neo (44th) to round off a strong performance by the whole team. A true demonstration of the in-depth preparations over the past months and the strong team spirit, guided by coach Fernando Alegre and team manager Soh Ling Ying.

Continuously Building…
The strong showing at the first key Optimist event of the year for the team augurs well for the upcoming 2012 international events, including the 2012 World Championships.

Said Mr Tan Wearn Haw, CEO of Singapore Sailing Federation, “This is a remarkable performance by a young team, and we are pleased to see that their hard work and determination has been rewarded by their results on water. More importantly, beyond results, they are out making friends and gaining new experiences and having fun! At times we forget the importance of simply enjoying the sailing, enjoying the journey… and how this attitude and approach will ensure that our young sailors continue to progress in their sailing and Olympic journey and continue to find success along the way.”

Singapore team at the IODA Asian Optimist Championship 2012 in Sri Lanka.

Singapore Sailing Federation joins the sailing community in congratulating our 2012 Asian Optimist champions!