53rd WMC Sailing - Brest (FRA) - Day 5
The French win the title of world military sailing champions in Brest !
BREST (FRA) – The World Military Sailing Championship has just ended in Brest with a clear victory for the French delegation. The French team, led by Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, won the final by two victories to zero against Poland. This final was the image of a world championship dominated head and shoulders by the French. In five days of competition, they did not lose a single match. The Poles took the second place while the podium was completed by the Greek crew.
The double for Bernaz
This title is a new consecration for Jean-Baptiste Bernaz. The southerner had already won the Laser world champion title only seven days ago in Mexico. "There was pressure again this time. It wasn't much easier but it was very enjoyable. We did it as a team. It's a great French team" smiled the skipper. Jean-Baptiste had only arrived in Brest last Monday, just before the races, and the crew had done all the preparation without him.
All the army corps involved
The success of the French team rewards all the army corps. Of course, several crew members are members of the French Navy, but the Army was also represented by Private Pierre Laouénan, while Captain Caroline Vandame is a member of the Air and Space Force.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jean-Baptiste Bernaz then added: "My teammates gave me the luxury of arriving as a "guest star" because I was on a roll after my world championship. We got to know each other all week and we came together to play two great games today in a close and tight final. It's great to win the title in these conditions. A world military championship title is very important. I wanted to give back to the institution what it offers me, a stability in life. It allows me to prepare serenely for the civilian championships. They asked us to wear the colors of France but also the military colors. It really touches me to be able to bring a world title to my country, but it is also a pride on a personal level. With this crew, we all knew each other before, but we still had to be able to sail together. They trained without me, and I came to give a hand at the end. Pierre-Alexis Ponsot is at the origin of this team. He came to get us one by one to have the skills of each one both on the sporting and military level. Our goal was to perform well, and we are thrilled with this title."
Chief Petty Officer Marie Riou, also a member of the French crew, was also delighted: "We won all our qualifying matches, and we were very focused for the final against the Poles. We did a great job with the team and there was a good atmosphere on board. We worked hard all week; we are happy. It's important because we represent the country, we represent France. We are proud to wear these colors and proud to have won this title. Moreover, I am from Brest. I had a little pressure because I did not want to miss at home."
Satisfaction was also present among the other international crews who were delighted with the organization of this military world championship. Spanish Captain Jose Rey-Seijo Alcalà said: "It was a very nice championship. The weather was perfect, and the races were beautiful. It was great. We would have liked to take third place, but we made a mistake in the second race. We have no regrets."
Greek silver medalist Alexandro Tagaropoulos was also satisfied with the Greek performance: "We are very happy with this result. We are slightly disappointed because we could have been in the final today. We made too many mistakes in the semi-finals. Last night we sat down and talked about our mistakes. We did much better today and we are happy with our progress. We leave France with a medal. Our goal was to be on the podium, so we are very happy."
Corvette Captain Christophe Gaumont, President of the Race Committee, was delighted with the organization of the World Championship: "This World Championship went very well. We had good conditions, sometimes difficult, but we were able to adapt and change the course when necessary. There was a good general atmosphere and a team of local organizers that we could count on. It was perfect!"
Final Ranking :
- France
- Poland
- Greece
- Spain
- USA
- Denmark
- Canada
The Closing Ceremony of the event took place yesterday evening after the competitions in the presence of members of the 7 participating delegations (Canada, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Poland and USA) and of the following authorities: Navy Captain Spyridon Andriopoulos, CISM Official Representative for the event and member of the Board of Directors; Navy Captain Jorge G. Flethes, PCSC Sailing; Rear Admiral Xavier Tourneux, Commander of the Defense Bases of Brest and Lorient; Captain Emmanuel Mauban, Chief of Staff CECLANT; Lieutenant Renaud Corbay, head of sports CECLANT; Colonel Sylvain Nogrette, representative of the CNSD; and international and local authorities.
Navy Captain Spyridon Andriopoulos took the floor to close the event: "As I mentioned in my speech at the Opening Ceremony, I was convinced that this Championship would be a magnificent event. What CISM and all of you have created here, is a unique opportunity that embraces our differences and ignores any discriminations between us. The aim of CISM is, to transmit friendship, cooperation, solidarity, equality, and peace. Values that military athletes represent to the world, through the organization of World Military Championships. These values are CISM's powerful tools for bringing military athletes together. Finally, I would like to congratulate the Local Organizing Committee and the French Delegation to CISM for their excellent work."
All the pictures of the event will be available on the CISM Flickr account !
Press Kit
Dowload the press kit of the 53rd WMC Sailing here !
(Source: Ready Prod, Sillages Communications, French Delegation to CISM & CISM Media & Communication Department)
