Men’s Health at Russian Sailing Championship

The Russian Sailing Championship was held with support from Men’s Health magazine on Sept. 17 to 26 in Novorossiisk using Olympic-class yachts. Based on the results of that competition, the Russian national sailing team was formed and will begin preparations this year for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.

The race in Novorossiisk was staged in the six classes that have long been part of the Olympic program — Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, Women’s 470, Men’s 470 and 49er. Depending on the wind, several races in each class were held during the competition, with the results contributing to the final tally. A medal race was held on Sept. 24 and 25. According to the rules, points earned during the medal race are doubled, making the stakes incredibly high for winning the final race of the championship.

In the three singles racing categories of Laser, Laser Radial and Finn, the winners of the Russian sailing championship were Sergei Komissarov of Dolgoprudny, Svetlana Shnitko of Nizhnevartovsk, and Eduard Skornyakov of Moscow, respectively. The winners in the three pairs classes of Women’s 470, Men’s 470 and 49er were Alisa Kirilyuk of Moscow with Lyudmila Dmitriyeva of Saratov, Vladimir Chaus and Denis Gribanov of the Krasnodar region, and Pavel Kalinchev of Voronezh with Pavel Karachev of Moscow, respectively.

Paralympic Competitions in the 2.4 class were held in Novorossiisk simultaneously with the Russian championship race, with Nikolai Ulyashev of Voronezh taking first place.

The awards ceremony was held at the 7 Feet yacht club that had hosted the competition. Afterward, Men’s Health held a party featuring DJs Pasha Fookin and Demi Plies (Like Family) and a colorful fireworks display.