Korean team 'Vikira' takes 1st place at 13th Yi Sun-sin Cup Int'l Yacht Race in waters off of Tongyeong
  • 4 years ago
This year's Yi Sun-sin Cup International Yacht Race wrapped up its 13th edition in waters off South Korea's southern port city of Tongyeong on Sunday.
South Korean sailing team 'Vikira' came in first place for the third year in a row.
Kan Hyeong-woo has the highlights.
In Korean, "Vikira" means "get out of the way."
And appropriately, the South Korean team 'Vikira' sailed past everyone to win this year's Yi Sun-sin Cup.
"First of all, I want to thank my teammates for our third straight win. I believe we earned this one because we put our best efforts into it. We're going to continue working to try and win again next year."
This year's race drew sailors from 13 different countries, including the U.S., Russia, China and Belgium.
Around 600 of them took part, in total, in South Korea's southern port city of Tongyeong.
"We always enjoy coming. This is a beautiful bay to sail in,… sailing by all these beautiful islands and it's always tricky conditions - light wind coming over the mountains."
Korea's only all-female team also brought their best sailing to the competition,... taking second place in their category.
"We had practiced a lot for this race. I think this regatta is a very big event in Korea because almost all sailors participate in this race."
The Yi Sun-sin cup is considered one of the three biggest yacht races in Asia, along with the China Cup and Thailand's Kings Cup.
The race is named after one of the most important figures in Korean history, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, whose fleet defended Korea against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War from 1592 to 1598.
The yacht races took place near the site of the Battle of Hansan, one of Admiral Yi's famous victories.
Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News.
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