The Fantela Brothers became World Champions in August this year.
The current world champions in the 49th class, brothers Šime and Mihovil Fantela were nominated for the Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2018. The nomination is another great recognition for the Zadar sailors after their excellent performance and gold medal at the World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark in August this year, reports Zadarski.hr on October 3, 2018.
The Fantela brothers are thus among five of the world’s best sailors. In addition to Šime and Mihovil, the remaining nominees are French sailor Charles Caudrelier, the winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, Cypriot sailor Pavlos Kontides, world champion in the Laser class, world champion in the RS: X Dorian van Rijsselberghe from the Netherlands and Italian sailor Ruggero Tita, world champion in the Nacra class 17. By entering this selection, Šime Fantela became the first Croatian sailor to be nominated for the prestigious prize twice. Šime was nominated for the first time in 2016 together with Igor Marenić after winning the gold medal in the 470 class.
“I’m thrilled to be nominated for the second time for the most prestigious award a sailor can win. Given the results we have achieved over the past 12 months, I think we deserve to be in this order and I am glad that the world federation has recognized our efforts and successes,” said Šime Fantela after the nomination.
The decision for the best sailor in the world will be made by representatives of the World Sailing Federation, who make up 70 percent of the vote, and the public, who make up the remaining 30 percent. The vote will begin on October 15 on the official website of www.sailing.org and will last for 15 days. The winner will be announced on October 30 in Sarasota, Florida. The World Sailing Federation is made up of representatives of national sailing associations.
Each federation has the right to one vote, while the rest of the vote depends on the supporters who will have the opportunity to vote and support their favorite sailors. Details of the competition and nominations can be found at www.sailing.org, and information about voting can be found on the official Facebook and Instagram pages of the Fantela Sailing Team.
