Buckingham Takes Sixth at European Championships

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BRISTOL, R.I. (October 13, 2020) – US Sailing Team Athlete Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) will close out his three-month stint in Europe on a high note, thanks to a sixth-place finish at the 2020 Laser Senior European Championships. The event was held in Gdansk, Poland and summoned over 120 sailors in the Men’s Laser Standard fleet.

Buckingham sailed a solid week, posting many single-digit finishes to land himself just outside the top five. Despite struggling slightly to get in a groove, Buckingham is pleased with his performance.

“My goal for racing was to race consistently and at the front of the fleet,” he said. “Honestly, I struggled to find a rhythm for most of the week, but if I can finish sixth after feeling that way, I think that’s a good thing.”

This is the third event Buckingham has sailed since arriving in Europe in late July. Earlier this season, he claimed victory at the 2020 Italian Championships. Just prior to that, he finished fourth at the 2020 Kiel Week Regatta.

Another one of Buckingham’s main goals for his time in Europe was to race consistently and take advantage of on the water training to work on his upwind speed. As he heads back to the states he does so feeling fulfilled, “I felt I met every goal I set for this trip so I’m really happy with that.”

After three impressive finishes that followed a six month break from international competition, Buckingham has earned a break. As he turns his attention to the next step on his path to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he will first enjoy some time off before evaluating his options to continue training and racing on the water.

“I’m going home tomorrow. I’ve had a great trip but I’m excited to get home to see friends and family,” said Buckingham. “For now, I’ll take a break and we have some options in front of us for the end of the year, but have yet to decide as there are a lot of things up in the air with the pandemic.”

To view the full results from the 2020 Laser Standard European Championships, click here.

Updated: 10/13/20

Charlie Buckingham (USA) on Day 4 – Gold Fleet action at 2020 Laser European Championships. Photo by Robert Hajduk.

Charlie Buckingham Finishes 6th at Laser European Championships

FINAL RESULTS UPDATE: Buckingham (Gold Fleet: 6th / 63 ): 10-12-14-2-16-26-10-3-16-7-(54) = 100
Tuesday, October 13 – Race Day 6

Race Day 6 Recap – Buckingham Places 6th Overall in the Open European Trophy

Results and Standings

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Charlie Buckingham (front ) on Thursday at 2020 Laser European Championships.

Charlie Buckingham’s Laser Tour Through Europe Continues

US Sailing Team Athlete Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) is in action this week beginning Thursday, October 8 in Gdansk, Poland at the 2020 Laser European Championships for six days of racing. The Laser fleet completed two races on Day 1 of the regatta on Thursday and Buckingham placed 10th and 12th in the 126-boat Laser Standard fleet.

Buckingham has had an active fall racing season in Europe. Most recently, he captured first place honors at the Olympic Classes International Italian Championship in September. He clinched his victory in the Men’s Laser fleet on the last day of racing and finished one point ahead of Robert Scheidt (BRA) and two ahead of his training partner and Juan Maegli (GUA). Buckingham won half of the races throughout the event and finished outside the top three only once.

Prior to the Italian Championship, Buckingham posted another impressive finish at the 2020 Kiel Week Regatta. This event was Buckingham’s first following a six month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the lengthy break in racing, Buckingham placed fourth overall. He spent much of the week at the front of the Men’s Laser fleet, finishing outside the top ten only once.

Quotes from Charlie:

  • On Racing at Laser European Championships –
    “All the top Laser sailors in the world are here, minus Australia and New Zealand. It will be a really good test to see where my level is compared to all the top guys.”
  • On his goals for this event –
    “My goal for the event is to practicing racing at the front of the fleet and be consistent”
  • On the possible weather and racing conditions at event –
    “The conditions should be moderate winds and pretty cold. If we get some rain it could bring some stronger wind, but it’s looking like we will see more moderate conditions. The wind is coming from the shore so it will probably be pretty tricky.”

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