July 20, 2014
Yael Paz sails to gold.
Yael Paz sails to gold.

Yael Paz sailed to gold in the 2014 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Portugal, giving Israelis something to smile about. Yahel Wallach and Stav Brokman secured a silver medal in their race, too.

A record 367 sailors from 67 nations took part in the Tavira contest.

Paz, 18, led the RS:X Boys field by just two points going into the final race but triumphed over the pressure to win the gold, with Italy’s Mattia Camboni taking second place.

“It’s a great feeling, and it was a tough race and really tight at the end but I’m so glad I won. It was massive pressure but in the end I managed to deal with it and I feel great and can’t wait to talk to everyone back home,” said Paz. “It was really tricky racing with strong competition. I won by one point in the end so it was really tight. It was really hard and before every start I had to think about what I had to. It was massive pressure but in the end I managed to deal with it.”

Yahel Wallach and Stav Brokman sail to silver.
Yahel Wallach and Stav Brokman sail to silver.

Yahel Wallach and Stav Brokman, of the Sdot Yam Sailing Club, won silver in the 420 Girls fleet race.