Highlight: Ismene Usman

There are a lot of talented people in many fields on the campus of the TU Delft, including Sports. Every month, we put one of our elite athletes in the spotlight. This month, the honour goes to sailor Ismene Usman.

From 9 until 16 December, the Youth Sailing World Championships 2017 took place in China; the most important event for sailors under the age of 19. Our top athlete Ismene Usman, student Molecular Science & Technology (MST), competed against the international competition in the class 29er, along with Svea Karsenbarg.

The regatta of thirteen races lasted for a week, under difficult light wind conditions. Ismene got in second place on the third day. However, it was an tight race; it was neck and neck between the top 8 boats. All competitors still had a chance of winning the silver medal, which is very unusual.

Unfortunately, Ismene did not manage to maintain her top three position.  She finished in seventh place in the general classification. A somewhat disappointing result for Ismene. In spite of the result, Ismene looks back on an instructive and fun week. This was her last youth event and from now on she will compete at senior level. With a new boat, she hopes to join the Olympics eventually!