The bowman Bruno Prada secured another medal for Brazil in international competitions last Saturday (11). The Olympic medalist athlete in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 sailed with the Polish Mateusz Kusznierewicz in the Star class and together they won the fourth title of the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta, in Miami, in the United States.
The duo closed the 2023 championship with 15 points lost in six races and surpassed Eivind Melleby and Mark Strube (NOR/USA) with 21 points lost, and Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise (USA) with 26. The traditional Bacardi Cup dispute, which is 96 years old, had 73 Star boats.
The unprecedented fourth championship in the history of the Bacardi Cup was in honor of sailor Gonzalo Diaz, one of the icons of world sailing and father of Augie Diaz. ”It was hard to get our minds focused on the race, but we managed to manage all these external adversities and we’re still super happy”.
“The race on the last day was incredible! We had a practically perfect performance and won the fourth title. In 96 years, we are the first to win four championships in a row and that is an enormous happiness”.
”I’m very tired, the disputes were very physical and I focused all my strength on the championship. Very grateful to secure my name once again in the history of the trophy and sailing”, explained Bruno Prada.
Mateusz Kusznierewicz approved the duo’s performance after an uneven start in the Bacardi Cup. Of the six races, the four-time champions were among the top three in four. But a seventh in the opening race and a 21st in the penultimate almost put everything to lose.
”It was the toughest win of the four,” said Mateusz Kusznierewicz. ”The level of competition was very high and the top five teams were navigating brilliantly. They put their strategies and tactics very well. This time we had to fight until the end, but I liked it”.
Sailing from Brazil was present in another edition with the pairs of Star Admar Gonzaga Neto and Ronald Seifert (25th place), Fábio Prada and Arthur Lopes (42nd place), in addition to Fabiano Vivacqua and Massimo Canali (69th place).
The Brazilians were also represented by Samuel Gonçalves on the bow of the North American John MacCausland, in 10th, and Pedro Trouche with fellow US sailor Jack Jennings in 13th.
The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta had other classes up for grabs like J-70, Melges 24, Melges 15 and VX One. At J-70, The Three Musketeers of Alberto Guarischi, Andre Guarischi, Maurício Santa Cruz and Pedro Tinoco came in 18th. Jamaica Rum by Fabio Cotrim, Jorge Zarif, Rob Paradeda and Gabriel Borges in 20th and Mancha Negra by Mário Garcia, Henry Boening, Allan Maqueira and Pedro Mascarenhas in 30th.
The next edition of the Bacardi Cup will be held from March 3 to 9, 2024, in the United States.
