Medal Race Day 2: Plasschaert and Kontides find gold in the Bay of Aarhus

Emma Plasschaert won Belgium’s first world championship gold in the Laser Radial at the Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 on Friday. 

On a bright and breezy day in Denmark’s Bay of Aarhus, the gusty offshore WSW wind had dropped down to 17 knots from the 25 knots for the startof the men in the Laser 40 minutes before. 

Plasschaert had started the day 11 points clear and only needed to finish sixth or better in the 10-boat field to make gold hers. In the end she was fifth, but Bouwmeester was fourth and had never been able to put enough boats between them. 

In the Laser, Cyprus’s Olympic hero, Pavlos Kontides, will always remember the Bay of Aarhus. He won gold yesterday a decade after he won the Youth World Championships here.