Courtesy of: Aruba Daily
ORANJESTAD – Mack van den Eerenbeemt with sail number ARU-11 booked a good result at the South American Championships last week. Gold, silver and bronze medals were given to Argentina, The Netherlands and the United States. Aruba came in 4th and was followed over the line by Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay and Chili.
A total of 12 races, 30 minutes each, were held in Lake Potrerillos and 35 athletes competed in the class; under 17 years.
During this Championship two girls and two boys could qualify for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing, China, to be held in August of this year.
Van den Eerenbeemt already qualified Aruba for these Olympics during the North American Championships in Mexico earlier this year. But with this 4th position, Aruba would have been nominated again if it had to qualify at this tournament.
The 15 year old Aruban athlete, a member of the Wind Racers Club Aruba (WRCA), traveled to Argentina with the aim of training in light winds and to improve his technique. “Aruba is very windy with an average of 20 knots. In Argentina the water was very cold and the wind very light. It was a good training. I had a great week, made new friends and learned a lot.”
Argentinian Francisco Saubidet (15) took the first place and secured the title. He qualified his country for the YOG in China. Silver and bronze positions on the podium were also determined: Dutchman Lars van Sommeren came in second and was followed over the line by light wind specialist Geronimo Nores from the United States.
The Aruba Sailing Association (ASA) congratulates this young windsurfer with another good result.
