2.4mR SER Gold Cup & Para World Championships: “The boat is a diva and a sensitive little one”
From September 25th to 29th, Warnemünde will be the venue for the 2.4mR SER Gold Cup and the integrated 2.4mR Para World Championship. The organizing club is the Warnemünder Sailing Club, which successfully held the 83rd edition in July. Warnemünder Woche responsible.
The 2.4mR World Championships and Para World Championships were actually supposed to take place together in Norway this year, but the corona pandemic forced the organizers to cancel. Warnemünde's application as a venue for the Para World Championships was ultimately accepted by the world sailing association World Sailing in a fast-track procedure.
So far, 35 sailors from ten nations have registered for the highlight of the season. Disabled and non-disabled people start together at the inclusive event. The title of the Para World Championships then goes to the best-placed sailor with a disability. Although some international athletes, such as sailors from Australia, cannot take part due to travel restrictions, the entry list is still impressive.
One of the contenders for the overall victory and the Para World Championship title is Antonio Squizzato. The Italian, whose left leg had to be amputated after an accident at the age of three, has already collected many national and international titles. He has also taken part in three Paralympic Games.
The registration list also includes Heiko Kröger, one of the best sailors in Germany and one of the most successful inclusion sailors in the world. Kröger can look back on a total of ten world championship titles in the 2.4mR, one in the open classification and nine in the inclusion classification. In 2000 at the Paralympic Games in Sydney he won the gold medal in the 2.4mR and he just won the Kiel Week for the 12th time, on a borrowed ship because his own was not ready on time. The new boat will now undergo final testing at the German 2.4mR Championships in Prien am Chiemsee so that nothing goes wrong at the Para World Championships in Warnemünde. “In Kiel I noticed a few little things that I still need to change on my boat. I then turned on the 3D printer and printed shapes. Now we’re laminating,” says Kröger.
With a length of 2.4 meters, the 4,18mR is the smallest of the so-called meter classes. Larger ones are 5.5, 6, 8 or 12. The boat is technically demanding and offers numerous options for adapting to existing disabilities. People with disabilities can therefore sail just as easily as people without disabilities.
“Anyone who can sail can easily set off on a boat. But getting it to work properly is the art. The boat is a real diva and a sensitive little one!” says Heiko Kröger, who was born without a left forearm, full of enthusiasm and love for his class.
Kröger sees the Finn Fia Fjelddahl as another favorite for the Para World Championship title. The 22-year-old became vice world champion in the 2.4mR last year.
The patron of the event is Mona Küppers, President of the German Sailing Association. She highlights the importance of sailing and, in particular, the 2.4mR class for inclusive sport: “Sailing in particular is more suitable as an inclusive sport than almost any other sport. In this class, everyone sails against each other with absolutely equal opportunities, regardless of whether they are young or old, woman or man, with or without a physical disability. The demanding and at the same time good-natured boat offers so many adaptation options that fair competition is guaranteed. This is inclusion in action.” Mona Küppers will, among other things, take part in the sailing evening in Warnemünde and hold the award ceremony.
The 2.4mR SER Gold Cup and the Para World Championships are only made possible thanks to the generous support of partners and sponsors. Special thanks go to the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Sports Association, the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Volunteer Foundation, the Hanseatic City of Rostock as well as the SER and the Honico company.
