Accolades for outstanding achievements were received in the categories of Female Sailor, Male Sailor, Junior Sailor, Sailing Team, Sailing Project of the Year, as well as the Special Award, Public Award, Swiss Sailing and "Skippers Sailing and Ocean" awards.

Gstaad Yacht Club (GYC) Sport Member, Mateo Sanz Lanz, RS: X Windsurf, won the category "Best Sailor in Switzerland". With a Spanish father and Swiss mother, back in 2013, this competitor decided that instead of representing Spain, he’d represent his mother Barbara’s home country – a stroke of luck for both Switzerland and the GYC. In 2016, he decided to join the club. A year later, in 2017, the proven light and medium wind specialist secured the silver medal at the World Championships in Enoshima. Then, at the World Cup opening in Gamagori, he surfed his way into third place. Also, in 2018, the 25-year-old SST national squad athlete was regularly placed among the world's elite. At the inaugural World Cup season, he was second on the podium at Enoshima, the venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics, and won the Gold Medal just a few days later at the Enoshima Olympic Week. With the 2019 season well underway, he's currently in third place in the World Sailing rankings.

Another Gstaad Yacht Club sailor was nominated in two categories and reached the podium. Nils Theuninck, 2018 U23 European Champion in the Finn class also sails for the Tilt team. The team took third place in the 2017 Youth America's Cup and, riding a great wave of success, the first world title in the GC32 class in 2018. The GYC congratulates all participating sailors in the team led by Sébastien Schneiter for winning the "Sailing Team of the Year Award 2017/2018". 

An important event for the Swiss sport of sailing 

The SUI Sailing Awards are very significant for Swiss Sailing. "The SUI Sailing Awards bring deserved recognition for the nominated athletes. In addition, they help to highlight Swiss sailing to the public. People abroad tend to recognise the successes of Swiss sailors more than in Switzerland. We want to change this," said Martin Vogler, President of Swiss Sailing and part of the panel of judges for the SUI Sailing Awards. The awards mean that the Swiss public is increasingly being made aware of the great achievements of Swiss sailors.

Based on AVS/Gstaad Yacht Club
Translated by Justine Hewson