Bing Ye has been crowned the 2017 RS:X world windsurfing champion at Enoshima, Japan.
Forget the Polish, the Israeli, the Dutch, and the Spanish. The Olympic windsurfing class is now in the hands of China, the new force to be reckoned with in the RS:X world.
The Chinese sailors claimed five out of the six medals on offer at the 2017 RS:X World Championships. And they weren't even competing in home waters.
China proved to be nearly unbeatable in the 2020 Olympic sailing venue, with wind speeds gusting up to 20 knots, and in the classic medal race format.
Their athletes showed not only high fitness levels but also superb sailing skills and smart tactics.
In the women's division, she only needed a ninth place in the medal race to secure gold, and that was precisely what happened. Her fellow countrywomen—Wu and Lu—kept the silver and bronze medals.
"There was a lot of pumping, which for me is quite hard. I am very, very tired but also very happy," said Chen.
In the men's fleet, Bing Ye and Switzerland's Mateo Sanz Lanz were tied on 33 points going into the final day, but the Chinese played a conservative game, kept his opponent under control, and celebrated his maiden world title.
2017 RS:X World Championships | Top 5
Men
1. Bing Ye (CHN)
2. Mateo Sanz Lanz (SUI)
3. Mengfan Gao (CHN)
4. Shahar Zubari (ISR)
5. Kieran Holmes Martin (GBR)
Women
1. Peina Chen (CHN)
2. Jiahui Wu (CHN)
3. Yunxiu Lu (CHN)
4. Zofia Noceti Klepacka (POL)
5. Manjia Zheng (CHN)