Ekaterina Skudina and her Russian team have won the 2010 EUROSAF Women’s Match Racing European Championship.

Ekaterina Skudina from Russia are the brand new 2010 EUROSAF European Match Race champions after a day of great races that really went down to the wire. Skudina beat Britain’s Lucy Macgregor in their fourth race when she crossed the finish line less than a foot ahead of her opponent. It was an impressive end to an impressive event with 24 teams in 2 classes, 2 separate races courses and a full set of double round robins, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

FINALS

Macgregor, the world’s number 1 match racer, started the finals on a wrong foot. She had her timings completely off at the prestart of the 1st race and crossed the starting line 15 seconds behind Skudina. From that point there was no way back and Skudina got her 1st point easily. Macgregor came back in the following race, controlled the prestart, got off the line with better speed and stayed ahead, the pattern to guarantee victory in this event.

Skudina proved in the 3rd race that it was up to who made less the boat handing errors was the one to have better chances. Macgregor got the upper hand at the start and led the race but a number of sloppy tacks in the second beat let Skudina get ahead and win. The fourth and final race was a nailbiter and it could have really gone one way or the other. Both crews made mistakes, Macgregor got a red flag at the bottom mark and let Skudina take the lead but then the Russian let the British separate in the last run and close the gap. It was finally Skudina that crossed the line in front by less than a foot.

It was a very important day for Russian sailing and Skudina who will now have to rush back to her desk in order to present her PhD in less than a week. Afterwards, both she and Macgregor will head to Medemblik in the Netherlands for the Sailing World Cup.

Final Results:
1 - Ekatarina Skudina (RUS)
2 - Lucy Macgregor (GBR)
3 - Lotte Meldgaard (DEN)
4 - Cristiana Monina (ITA)

(Lower placings not published at this time.)