Long live the seas, the sailors, and authentic friendships

  18.02.2021 Sports & Leisure

The sailing world – much like the Saanenland – sets high value on friendship. The same was felt when GYC member Anthony Bannwart mentioned he was expecting the visit of a friend, who also happened to be a champion.

As the New Year sailed off, the Gstaad Yacht Club was toasted with the discrete visit of Mateusz Kusznierewicz, an unpretentious World Class sailor who contributed his share to the success of the sailing sport on the international level. The GYC had just fulfilled, again, the purpose of a Yacht Club; to welcome sailors and honour the friendship of these people of the seas.

Mateusz Kusznierewicz, holding an extensive palmarès, always competed for the highest positions of the sport in the Finn and Star classes, the same boat classes in which current and past GYC Racing team members have been competing: Nils Theuninck now in the Finn; Flavio Marazzi from 2000 to 2012 in the Star.

Mateusz conquered his own spot of glory by winning Gold in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (USA) in the Finn Class, Gold in 1998 in the Finn World Championships in Athens (GRE), Gold in the 2008 and 2019 editions of the Star World Championships in Miami (USA) and Porto Cervo (ITA) respectively, and Gold in the Star European Championship in 2012, to name the most important titles. Mateusz Kusznierewicz was also awarded the 1999 title for World Sailor of the Year by the International Sailing Federation.

Nowadays, Mateusz shares his knowledge and experience with others. He experienced great victories but also big setbacks. With lots of valuable lessons learned he mentors other athletes. Sailors but also professional golfers and talented snowboarders. “Mentoring and coaching is a new, very interesting experience and challenge for me. I found myself comfortable with it. I have a natural gift of seeing things others don’t see and being able to picture it when talking to someone,” said Mateusz when visiting Gstaad Yacht Club in January this year. “It also gives me a new perspective for my own sailing in the Star and 5.5 classes,” he adds.

The most important project Mateusz is working on now is the SSL Gold Cup. Like the football World Cup, this is the ultimate challenge between sailing nations. The first edition of the SSL Gold Cup will be held in May and June 2022 in Switzerland. National representations from 56 countries will be competing against each other on the one design, 14-meter-long yachts provided by the SSL (Star Sailors League) with headquarters in Grandson.

Qualification rounds will be sailed on Lake Neuchâtel. Quarterfinals, semis and the final on Lake Geneva. The SSL Gold Cup will be a great spectacle for the global audience, simple to understand, free to follow online and easy to access thanks to the location of the event village. Everyone will be able to meet sailing legends and the best sailors including Olympic Champions, Americas Cup winners, Volvo Ocean Race heroes and many more. The young generation and experienced athletes, men and women, will be working together to win the SSL Gold Cup.

Mateusz, in the role of SSL Gold Cup general director, is working in the international SSL management team to deliver events like never before.

GSTAAD YACHT CLUB

 


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