Naama Platnik • Haifa Pride – Runner-up to the World Youth Windsurfing Champion

(haipo) An impressive achievement for Haifa and Israel: Naama Platnik, a student at the Leo Beck Education Center and a trainee at the Haifa Sailing Club, won the title of runner-up in the World Youth Windsurfing Championship for under-17s, at the World Championship held in Brest, France. Platnik impressed throughout the competition, reaching the final sail ranked first out of hundreds of participants, but at the end of a dramatic and nerve-wracking day of sailing, she settled for the silver medal.

Complete control of the qualifiers

379 male and female surfers from 36 countries took part in the competition, which took place between July 24 and 31. Naama, who is only 16 years old, demonstrated high and consistent ability, with four victories out of eight qualifying races, which secured her first place and a direct ticket to the final, including an important bonus victory.

A tiebreaker determined the identity of the champion

The finals were held in challenging weather conditions of heavy fog and light winds. Platnik needed a single victory to win the world title, but the French sailor, who had reached the final in eighth place, delivered an inspiring display as she won the quarter-final, finished second in the semi-final and edged out Naama in the first race of the final.

The two remained tied 1:1, but due to the late hour, the competition was stopped and according to the regulations, in the event of a tie on points, the gold medal is awarded to the winner of the last race. Thus, Naama had to settle for the silver medal, but proved once again that she is one of the best in the world.

A champion at heart

"Naama has been training at the Haifa Sailing Club for eight years," Arnon Dagan, director of Haifa Sailing, proudly tells Haifa. "She was already the world champion by the age of 15, and today she continues to lead the younger generation in windsurfing. Throughout the competition, she maintained an incredible level of stability, which is a tremendous achievement for anyone who knows her path."

Haifa on the world cruise map

Naama was not the only representative of Haifa Sailing at the prestigious championship. Four surfers from the club, all Israeli champions in the various categories, represented Israel, and three of them managed to qualify for the finals in the under-17 and under-19 categories, for boys and girls. Among the standouts were the siblings Peleg and Noa Rajwan, who also put on an excellent competition.

The future looks promising.

For Naama Platnik, this achievement at such a young age is just the beginning of a brilliant path. Beyond the medal, she has demonstrated character, determination, and talent of the highest level, qualities that make her not only an outstanding athlete, but an inspiring figure for many young people.