A Strong Comeback: ChinaOne Ningbo Finished Third at the M32 European Championships 2022
Members of ChinaOne Ningbo sailing team (photo by Liu Jiao & Zheng Junzhi)
On September 4th, the M32 Catamaran European Championships 2022 was done and dusted on Lake Garda, Italy. After 15 races in 3 days, ChinaOne Ningbo sailing team took the bronze, while Team Bliksem (Netherlands) won the title and the defending champions – Team Vitamina Veloce (Italy) – finished runner-up.
Philip Sohmen, grandson of shipping magnate Sir Yue-Kong Pao and co-founder of the sailing team, arrived at the venue to cheer for the fleet.
此次比赛,中国宁波一号帆船队联合创始人包文骏先生亲临意大利比赛现场,为船队加油助威。
ChinaOne Ningbo scored 49 points to secure the bronze medal after 15 races. "It's a great honor to represent ChinaOne Ningbo, a fleet that has made outstanding achievements at the M32, which is also a spur for every crew member. Unfortunately, we missed out on the silver medal by a single point this time, but it's exactly where the charm of the sport lies. Things may change in an instant, and what you should do is go all out." commented the skipper PJ Postma.
What's also worth noting is the fact that there is a 20-year-old Chinese sailor in the fleet – Su Yikang. Born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, east China, Su started to learn sailing at the age of 8. He has represented China four times in the Topper World Championships and made the podium three times.
As a co-host city and the venue for the sailing competitions of the 19th Asian Games in September 2023, Ningbo has bolstered the sailing industry. Against this backdrop, ChinaOne Ningbo has set out a range of plans to play a part in building Ningbo into a maritime hub.
“Named after the coastal city, ChinaOne Ningbo will continue to serve as a bridge for sailing cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world. Through selecting talented sailors for training and competition overseas, we expect to enhance communication and take the top competitive experiences and training methods to Ningbo, east China’s Zhejiang province.” remarked Philip.