Tempest World Championship 2021 on Lake Garda: World champions again: Wieser and Auracher win off Torbole

Markus Wieser and Thomas Auracher have confidently won a Tempest World Championship for the second time since 2019 and can once again inscribe their names on the class association's historic champions board. After nine races, four daily victories and just twelve points on their World Championship account were enough for another triumph. World Championship silver was secured by Christian Spranger and Christopher Kopp ahead of Kicker Schäfer and Gusti Trimpl. Due to the coronavirus, the World Championship field was small but strong with 27 boats. The starters enjoyed their regatta comeback on the Italian picture-book course to the full, as the organisation of major sporting events is still not a matter of course.

"Even more than the joy of winning my second world championship title, I'm keen to promote the Tempest," said sailing pro Markus Wieser after the award ceremony in Italy. "I love sailing the Tempest because it's just such a great boat. As the helmsman, you have to do everything yourself. It's like dinghy sailing, like the 505, really demanding. And it's so much fun! You simply have to have sailed it to experience how demanding this boat is. I would love to get more young people interested in this class!"

Markus Wieser has regularly been in the same boat as Thomas Auracher for around two decades. The reason for the successful partnership: "Thomas is a very good skipper and I can always rely on him one hundred per cent. He has also learnt the sport from the ground up and simply has a good eye for the boat." Together, Markus Wieser and Thomas Auracher (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee/Bayerischer Yacht-Club) are one of the most successful power duos in German sailing. Auracher took part in the Olympic Games in Sydney 21 years ago with helmsman Marc Pickel; the crew finished twelfth, falling short of their potential. Both are still engines of their sport today. The technically adept high-tech boat builder Marc Pickel is already in Japan as coach to the German 49er hopefuls and Rio bronze medallists Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel. Germany's best skiff sailors want to win another Olympic medal there.