Filip Matika came from behind to retain his title in the XL Capital Bermuda International Optimist Regatta on Wednesday, again proving why he is among the world?s top-rated junior sailors.

The two-time world champion notched a second and two fourth-place finishes on the final day of racing in the Great Sound to repeat as winner of the annual event with the low score of 38 points in 11 races.

Bermuda?s Oliver Riihiluoma led the Island?s charge for honours, claiming the runner-up spot with 53 points, including eight top-ten results. Poland?s Kacper Dieminski was third with 61 points.

Two other local competitors were among the top ten in the 70-strong fleet.

Sean Bouchard, who led for most of the regatta, faded to fifth with 73 points while Elijah Simmons was eighth on 84 points.

?I think Sean was a victim of sudden wind changes around the course. He would be in first and all of sudden the wind shifts and he would be in the back of the pack,? said president of the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) Eddie Saints.

?It was sad to see but the winds were moving from north to north-west and all the guys on the left-hand side of the course got big lifts and whizzed past him.

?The conditions were very unpredictable.

?It certainly was not a runaway regatta by any one sailor. There was constant change in the points table after every race and the lead boats changed positions several times in a race.

?However, all in all, the conditions were fair and challenging to everyone.

?It wasn?t until the final results were published that anyone realised that the defending champion Filip Matika had won the event.?

Four other Bermudians finished inside the top 20 and Saints hailed this performance ?a

testament to Bermuda?s strength in Optimist sailing despite being such a small country?.

?We?re very proud of our sailors. They did well among such tough competition,? noted the BODA chief.

Originally, four races were scheduled per day over the four-day regatta but severe weather conditions on Monday ? with winds gusting above 40 knots ? led to the cancellation of all racing.

Continuing fluctuations in the weather on the following two days meant only seven of the ten scheduled races were possible.

Still, participants and sailing enthusiasts enjoyed what racing did take place.

?The event was fantastic. We exceeded all our expectations. It went off without a hitch. The international representation from 13 countries with 41 sailors made for highly-competitive racing and a great cultural exchange,? said Saints.

Countries participating in this year?s Bermuda International Optimist Regatta were: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, UK , Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, USA and Bermuda.

The competition is now recognised by the International Optimist Dinghy Association as one of its International Optimist events.

Many of the participating sailors, including a large contingent of Bermudians, will now move on to Florida for the Miami Orange Bowl regatta from December 27-30, hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club.

More than 600 juniors will complete in several classes of sailing.