Thai Sailor Sorawit Naksuk Crowned Overall Champion at 2025 Asian & Oceanian Optimist Championship in Oman

Muscat: Under the patronage of Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al Harrasi, Minister of Information, the 2025 Asian and Oceanian Optimist Championship concluded in the Wilayat of Al Musnaah this evening. Hosted by the Sultanate of Oman in the South Al Batinah Governorate, the prestigious regatta featured 162 sailors representing 25 nations. The closing ceremony honored winners and participating teams across nine competitive categories. It was also announced that the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been awarded the hosting rights for the next edition of the championship in 2026. According to Oman News Agency, in the Nations Cup, Team USA clinched first place, with Argentina 2 securing second, and Argentina 1 taking third. For the combined Asian and Oceanian Teams title, Singapore 1 emerged victorious, receiving the permanent International Sailing Federation (ISAF) trophy, followed by Thailand in second and Singapore 2 in third. Singapore also claimed the title for the Asia Teams Championship, while New Zealand was crowned the champion for the Oceania Teams Championship. In the individual continental awards, Sorawit Naksuk of Thailand won the title of Best Asian Sailor. He was followed by Ethan Chia of Singapore in second and Anya Chia, also of Singapore, in third. For the Best Oceanian Sailor, William Harris of Australia took the top honour, with his compatriot Balthazar Roche finishing second and Geoffrey Doo of New Zealand in third. The Girls' category saw Anya Zahedi of Singapore named the Best Female Sailor across Asia and Oceania, receiving the permanent ISAF cup. Yuxuan Li of China finished second, with Shreya Krishna Lakshminarayanan of India in third. In the fleet rankings, Japan's Soki Higuchi won the Bronze Fleet, with his countryman Kaito Nakamura in second and Oman's Tarteel Al Hasani earning third place. The Silver Fleet was topped by Kornelija Bajak of the UAE, with Simon Katz of Argentina second and Roberta de Oliveira Horn of Brazil third. The premier Gold Fleet category was dominated by Thailand's Sorawit Naksuk, who sealed the victory. Ethan Chia of Singapore claimed second place, while Storm Haschke Kim of the United States completed the podium in third. The ceremony culminated with the announcement of the overall 2025 Asian and Oceanian Optimist Champion. Thai sailor Sorawit Naksuk, having topped the Gold Fleet, was awarded the title and received the permanent International Sailing Federation champion's cup.