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Canada celebrated a pair of historic victories at the U.S. Optimist National Sailing Championships during this last week.
Will Keilty of Kingston, Ont., became the first Canadian ever to win the US Optimist National Championship, while teammate Tia Kinnear of Halifax became the first Canadian female sailor ever to win the Girls US National Championship.
Keilty captured the title at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club in Beach Haven, N.J., becoming the first Canadian to win the prestigious regatta and the first non-American champion since an Argentine sailor claimed the title in 2001.
The 15-year-old dominated the 319-boat fleet over 12 races, winning eight races while adding two second-place finishes and a third. After discarding a sixth-place result, he finished with 15 net points, 70 points ahead of runner-up Margaux Nguyen-Minh of Hong Kong.
“I’m mostly just relieved,” Keilty said in a Sail Canada release. “I knew I could do it, but the last two years at the U.S. Nationals, I fell out of first place on the final day, so to finally make it happen is a huge feeling of accomplishment for myself, my coaches, my clubs, and for Canada. I’m so happy to win in my final year of Optimist sailing.”
Keilty races for the Lake Ontario Optimist Team (LOOT).
Kinnear, who represents the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, made history as well by becoming the first Canadian to win the Girls U.S. National Championship, a girls-only event held before the mixed championship.
She followed up her victory by finishing 13th overall in the gold fleet during the main regatta.
“To be the first Canadian girl to win this championship means so much,” Kinnear said. “I hope it shows other Canadian girls what’s possible.”
The victories capped a remarkable season for Keilty.
In May, he became the first Canadian to win the International Optimist Dinghy Association’s North American championship in Halifax. He later finished seventh at the Optimist World Championship in Tangier, Morocco, the best result by a Canadian in the event’s 64-year history.
Both sailors will compete next at the CORK International Optimist Regatta in Kingston, Ont., beginning Aug. 6. Keilty is also scheduled to race at CORK Youth Fest before defending his title at the Canadian Optimist Championship later this summer in Vancouver, where he will seek a record fourth national crown.
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