ILCA CUP CHALLENGE – Strožanac 2025 “Successfully organized!!!”.

World-Class Sailing in Podstrana!

The Strožanac Sailing Club successfully organized its fifth consecutive international competition in the Olympic classes, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7.

International Competition with Elite Participants

This open, international competition gathered 28 sailors from 10 countries. The participants included several world-class names, ensuring a world-ranking level of competition. The Croatian Sailing Federation verified the event, and some of the best international judges were engaged, including Zlatko Jakelić, Slavko Vrlić, Dominik Perković, and Špiro Koceić.

Despite the highly variable and very light weather conditions over the three days, the Race Committee managed to set the course and allow for 3 races (or “3 heats”) to be held. Although the planned location was the waters of the Municipality of Podstrana, in front of the Strožanac sports harbor, the team had to find suitable starting conditions in front of Split due to the lack of wind.

About the ILCA Olympic Classes

ILCA (International Laser Class Association) is a class of single-sail, single-person dinghies, known for the uniformity of the boats, which places the emphasis on the sailor’s skill. ILCA 7, also known as Laser Standard, is the Men’s Olympic Class, while ILCA 6 (formerly Laser Radial) is the Women’s Olympic Class, often considered the “middle race” or class for lighter sailors.

World-Class Winners

In the ILCA 7 Cup Challenge – Strožanac 2025 class, Cypriot Pavlos Kontides dominated and took the victory. Pavlos Kontides is a truly top-tier sailor, the winner of the first Olympic medal in Cyprus’ history (Silver in London 2012 and Paris 2024 in the Laser/ILCA 7 class), and a two-time World Champion (2017 and 2018). His performance in Strožanac was flawless, with three wins in three races (1.0, 1.0, 1.0), giving him a total of 3.0 net points.

In the ILCA 6 Cup Challenge – Strožanac 2025 class, Finn Ines Ruohela triumphed. Ines Ruohela is a young, promising sailor who competes in the ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 classes. She has already achieved notable results, such as 5th place at the 2023 European Youth Championship in the ILCA 4 class, and a victory at the Finnish Championship in the ILCA 4 class. She also showed exceptional dominance in Strožanac with three wins in three races (1.0, 1.0, 1.0), finishing the competition with 3.0 net points.

• Other Top ILCA 7 Results:
  • 2nd place: Filip Jurišić (CRO)
  • 3rd place: Tonči Stipanović (CRO)
• Other Top ILCA 6 Results:
  • 2nd place: Tanja Ozretic (CRO)
  • 3rd place: Annie Balasubramanian (CAN)

Organization and Acknowledgments

The successful organization was credited to: Project Manager and Organizer Dubravko Jelić (Club President), Krešimir Rudolfiu (Club Secretary), and Ivo Hajduk (Race Committee Organizer). Special thanks for the support were extended to the Association of Sports Federations of the Municipality of Podstrana, the Podstrana Sailing Club, the Strožanac Sports Harbor, the Podstrana Tourist Board, and the Municipality of Podstrana.

“GOLD MEDAL” – ILCA 7 Cup Challenge – Strožanac 2025 class, Cypriot Pavlos Kontides 

“GOLD MEDAL” – ILCA 6 Cup Challenge – Strožanac 2025 class, Finn Ines Ruohela 

Thanks to Podstrana

The successful organization was thanks to the team led by Dubravko Jelić, Krešimir Rudolfiu, and Ivo Hajduk. The organizers extended special thanks for the support to the Municipality of Podstrana, the Podstrana Tourist Board, the Strožanac Sports Harbor, the Podstrana Sailing Club, and the Association of Sports Federations of the Municipality of Podstrana, whose support was crucial for holding a competition of this caliber.