Polish women start in the ILCA 6 class world championship

Agata Barwińska (SSW MOS Iława) and Wiktoria Gołębiowska (UKŻ Wiking Toruń) start competing in the ILCA 6 class World Championships this Friday. The regatta will be held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, until Wednesday, 10 January. Medals are at stake, but an internal competition for a named pass to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is in the background.

Agata Barwińska and Wiktoria Gołębiowska are the best Polish athletes in the Olympic ILCA 6 class. The former is the more experienced and successful sailor – she has a world vice-championship to her credit, two European championship titles, and a bronze medal at the European Championships. The younger Victoria, however, quickly joined the world’s top team and started to tread on the heels of her teammate. Both of them, under the guidance of Australian coach Jared West, have made great progress and are developing all the time, which bodes well for the future.

The World Championships, starting in Argentina, will be the first test of form in the Olympic year. The peak of their form is being prepared for the Olympics. Still, for most athletes, including the Poles, this regatta will be an opportunity to gain an advantage over their national rivals in the fight for a named Olympic pass. Only one representative of a country can compete in Paris, or rather Marseille, as the sailing competitions of the Games will be held there.

– I arrived in Argentina more than a week before the championships, and it has been a very intense time. So far, we have had super conditions, lots of wind, and big waves. Every day, we have been on the water, checking the body of water and our equipment. I expect a gruelling regatta with varied conditions. These conditions like to change here. My goal is to sail evenly and steadily, but what is important for me are my development goals so that after each regatta of this type, I can start the next one as an even better sailor,” says Agata Barwińska.

– The preparation stage for the world championships went smoothly. This regatta is neither more nor less important for me. It is just another competition for which I have prepared as well as I can, and my goals are the same as always – to improve my sailing technique and tactics. I will do my best to show my best sailing. Keep your fingers crossed,” says Wiktoria Golębiowska.

For both PGE Sailing Team Poland Ambassadors, the World Championships in Argentina will be an important part of the internal rivalry for a named qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games.