KARACHI, April 14: Pakistani sailors dominated the inaugural Chief of the Air Staff International Open sailing regatta when they bagged four of the six gold medals up for grabs on the concluding day at the PAF Korangi Creek on Monday.
Pakistan’s ascendancy came in the Optimist boys and girls, Mistral and Laser Standard classes. The remaining two events were shared by Kazakh (Laser Radial) and Egyptian (Laser 4.7) sailors.
The last two races in all the six categories were sailed on Monday after a day’s rest. In all, 11 races in each class were conducted in the regatta with two discard allowed.
Mustafa Ahmed did Pakistan proud capturing gold in Optimist boys leaving two foreigners behind in a fleet of five boats. Egypt’s Mohammad Morsi secured silver while Jishua Hans of Sri Lanka got the bronze.
However, Optimist girls, Mistral and Laser Standard turned out to be an all-Pakistan affair. Palwasha picked up gold in Optimist girls, Mohammad Tanveer topped Mistral while Mohammad Yousuf emerged winner in Laser Standard.
Though there was no foreign entry in Mistral, Kazakhstan’s Denis Passynkov and Sri Lankan Nadine Ashanthi, Kimberlay Kai featured in Laser Standard Optimist girls respectively.
Kazakh sailor Ruslan Jangazov and Egyptian Ahmed Ragab denied hosts a clean sweep by pocketing Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 gold medals.
The closing ceremony of the regatta will be held at the venue on Tuesday. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed will grace the occasion.
Final results:
Optimist Boys: Mustafa Ahmed (Pak) 12 pp gold; Mohammad Morsi (Egy) 14 pp silver; Jishua Hans (Sri Lanka) 25 pp bronze.
Optimist Girls: Palwasha (Pak) 9 pp gold, Fabiha Khan (Pak) 17 pp silver; Hadia Khan (Pak) 25 pp bronze.
Mistral: Mohammad Tanveer (Pak) 9 pp gold, Aamir Nawaz (Pak) 18 pp silver, Qasim (Pak) 30 pp bronze.
Laser Standard: Mohammad Yousuf (Pak) 12 pp gold, Ishfaq Iqbal (Pak) 13 pp silver; Wilayat Ali (Pak) 29 pp bronze.
Laser Radial: Ruslan Jangazov (Kaz) 13 pp gold; Athar Sultan (Pak) 19 pp silver; Abdul Hameed (Pak) 23 pp bronze.
Laser 4.7: Ahmed Ragab (Egy) 12 pp gold; Shazli Tahir (Pak) 16 pp silver; Junaid (Pak) 26 pp bronze.
