Portuguese team in 2nd place in the Adapted Sailing World Championship

The Portuguese duo Guilherme Ribeiro and Pedro Câncio Reis won, this Wednesday, silver in the Sailing World Championship, in the adapted class RS Venture Connect, proving that “in adapted sailing Portugal is at the highest level”.

The race took place from the 11th to the 16th of August, in the waters of The Hague, Netherlands.

The Portuguese athletes Guilherme Ribeiro, from Iate Clube Marina de Portimão, and Pedro Câncio Reis, from Clube Naval de Cascais, accompanied by coach Luís Brito, returned to the podium after their debut in world championships, last year, in Oman, where achieved bronze.

With five points of difference, the French Ange Margaron and Olivier Ducruix were crowned champions and the third place was given to the Canadians John McRoberts and Scott Lutes.

The work carried out by the Vela Solidária project has proved to be extremely important for the development of adapted sailing in Portugal and for achieving excellent results on the world stage.

Speaking to Agência Lusa, sailor Guilherme Ribeiro says that this new achievement is the long-awaited result of “hard work” and “many hours of effort in the usual fight”. The duo already dreams beyond: “Dreaming of gold is legitimate and we are going to work for it, one step at a time.”

Pedro Câncio Reis adds that “a silver medal is like fighting and overcoming a long-established goal. One of the few medals I still have to win is the World Championship and I feel like we've been working and trying hard and we're getting closer and closer”.

For the success of the duo, the “tuning” of the team contributes a lot, although there is still “a lot to improve”. Pedro Câncio Reis adds that “before the regattas we are happy and always sending jokes. All the weight of pressure inherent to competition is diluted and makes things lighter, without taking away the focus”.

The Portuguese representation had the support of Teia D'Impulsos, Yacht Club Marina de Portimão, Portuguese Association of the Hansa Class, Portuguese Sailing Federation, Regional Sailing Association of the South, Future Healthcare, World Sailing and the Municipality of Portimão.