July 18, 2010 (Scheveningen, Netherlands) – Mat Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS) won the 2010 Delta Lloyd 470 World Championship. Australia’s Golden Boys have been filling up their treasure chest this year and today they captured the most coveted bounty of the year, all of the gold and silver that goes along with convincingly winning the 2010 470 World Championship. Their second place finish in today’s Medal Race gave them a total score for the regatta of 44 points. Nicolas Charbonnier and Baptiste Meyer Dieu (FRA) collected the silver medal by handily winning the Medal Race and winding up the regatta with 65 points. The bronze went to last year’s world champions Sime Fantella and Igor Marenic (CRO) who were fourth in the Medal Race.

With today’s victory Page becomes the most decorated 470 sailor in history. He has one ISAF 470 ISAF World Championship and four 470 World Championship titles to his name, having won the 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010 470 World Championships and the 2006 ISAF World Championship. In addition to his 2008 Olympic gold medal, Page has claimed numerous 470 national and hemispheric titles over his 13- year 470 career. This 470 World Championship title is Belcher’s first and is a fitting match for his 2000 420 World Championship title, which he claimed with his brother, Daniel. Page’s other world championship victory was at the 2004 420 World Championship, which he sailed with Nathan Wilmot. Coach Victor Kovalenko, aka Medal Maker, now has a record 13 470 World Championship titles to his credit.

As Page pulled Nicole, their 470 named after Australian actress, Nicole Kidman, to the top of the boat ramp, he told reporters, “I’m stoked. This one feels as good as the first one.”

Page also explained, “We wanted to avoid getting 22 points today, so we had two rules – avoid and OCS (being over at the start) and avoid a DNE (an infringement for which they could not exonerate themselves).”

To avoid both, Australia’s Golden Boys, “Started on port tack behind all of the other boats and reached the weather mark in seventh place. We were fifth at the bottom mark, climbed to third at the next mark and caught another boat down the run to the finish,” said Belcher as he recapped the race. “We were happy to be able to get back into the race.”

Page agreed. “We were starting to get our straps,” he said.

Coach Victor Kovalenko said, “I am very proud of what the team has accomplished. It was a difficult championship to win. Mat and Mal performed well and they had the result that we have been training for.”

The next regatta for the Belcher Page 2012 London Challenge is the Sail for Gold Regatta in August in Weymouth, UK, at the 2012 Olympic Sailing Venue.

The 2010 Women’s 470 World Champions are Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout (NED). The women coincidently display the number 11 on their sails just as the newly crowned Men’s 470 World Champions do. Berkhout, like Page, achieved her fifth 470 World Championship victory at this regatta. This is Westerhof & Berkhout’s second 470 World Championship win as a team.

The Belcher & Page London Challenge is grateful to its sponsors the Audi, Australian Sailing Team, Estate Master Sailing, Acuity, Sands Resorts, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, friends, family and wives. In raising the awareness of melanoma, the team promotes Melanoma Patients Australia.

Photo of Lobke Berkhout, Malcolm Page, Lisa Westerhof and Mat Belcher courtesy of Event.

Preliminary Scores - 2010 470 World Championship

Final Results - Men’s 470 World Championship

  1. Belcher/Page (AUS) – 1,1,1,5,(15),7,7,1,14,1,2,4 - 42
  2. Charbonnier/Meyer Dieu (FRA) – 2,3,2, 7,10,18,6,(bfd),5,7,3,2 – 65
  3. Fantela/Marenic (CRO) – (14),5,5,11,2,10,2,11,8,5,8 -69
  4. Asher/Willis (GBR) – 1,1,11,7,2,6,(18),9,1,18,12,10- 78
  5. Mantis/Kagialis (GRE) – 7,9,4,1,(12),4,3,3,(18)6,11,9 -78
  6. Coster/Coster (NED) – 4,5,8,2,9,2,1,5,(27),11,10,12- 79
  7. Marinho/Nunes (POR) – 3,5,16,6,1,17,16,(bdf),4,12,1,6-84
  8. Patience/Bithell (GBR) – 4,5,8,2,(9), 1,5,4,2,(dnf),(dns),7 - 95
  9. Zandona/Zucchetti (ITA) – 6,10,(18),13,15,3,4,6,8,4,13,10- 102
  10. Kliger/Sela(ISR)-2,1,20,4,18,15,13,12,(26),9,4, 16-114