Israeli windsurfer wins silver at world championship

Spychakov, 20, got to the finish line third, but was able to pass the Dutch Lilian de Geus by two points, and beat her to the silver medal.

ISRAELI WINDSURFER Katy Spychakov improved her chances of qualifying for the RS:X competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a bronze medal yesterday at the Ready Steady Tokyo – Sailing competition in Japan. (photo credit: ISRAELI SAILING ASSOCIATION/COURTESY)
ISRAELI WINDSURFER Katy Spychakov improved her chances of qualifying for the RS:X competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a bronze medal yesterday at the Ready Steady Tokyo – Sailing competition in Japan.
(photo credit: ISRAELI SAILING ASSOCIATION/COURTESY)
Katy Spychakov won the silver medal Saturday afternoon in the world championships being held in picturesque Lake Garda, Italy.
Spychakov, 20,  the leader of the women's national RS:X team started the final race at third place, with a realistic shot at placing on the podium.
Spychakov, got to the finish line third, able to pass the Dutch Lilian de Geus by two points, beating her to the silver medal. The gold went to Chinese Yunxiu Lu, who was able to maintain her lead in the final race.
This is the first world championship medal for Israel since surfer Maayan Davidovich's medal back in 2014.
With this medal, Spychakov all but assures her becoming the Israeli representative for the next Olympic games, by far outpacing Israel's other 3 competitors.
In fact, the only scenario in which Spychakov isn't the next representative for Israel is if Noy Drihen, Maya Morris or Noga Geller wins a gold medal in the next world championship, held later this year.
This medal caps off a great period for the young windsurfer. A month ago, Spychakov won a bronze medal in the Japanese world cup, where the next Olympics will be held in the capital of Tokyo.