Champions crowned at 2025 Youth Sailing World Champs

Australia’s Rory Meehan wins Bronze in the Male iQFOiL class

Eleven Youth Sailing World Championship gold medallists were crowned on Friday as action came to an exciting conclusion in Vilamoura.

Italy and Great Britain won two golds apiece, with Lorenzo Sirena and Alice Dessy retaining their Nacra 15 title and Medea Falcioni going unbeaten on her way to female iQFOiL glory as Italy sealed a third straight Nations Trophy.

Britain’s two triumphs came courtesy of Lila Edwards and Amelie Hiscocks in the female 29er, and Sabine Potter and Merle Nieuwland in the female 420.

Switzerland’s Gian Andrea Stragiotti and China’s Suofeiya Li joined Falcioni in recording undefeated weeks as they wrapped up Formula Kite victories, while David Coates (USA) and Irene de Tomas (ESP) were crowned ILCA 6 champions.

Poland and Ukraine scooped golds in the male 29er and male 420 respectively, courtesy of Szymon Kolka and Bartosz Zmudzinski (29er) and Sviatoslav Madonich and Dmytro Karabadzhak (420), while Israel’s Peleg Rajuan topped the male iQFOiL podium.

Male ILCA 6: Coates seals triumph

Overnight leader David Coates sealed male ILCA 6 gold for USA, with a 12^th-place finish in the closing race enough to keep him top of the leaderboard.

The Miami native finished on 45 points, 15 clear of Czechia’s Jiri Tomes, who was given a U-Flag Disqualification (UFD) in the final race of the regatta.

Coates said: “From the beginning of last year, it has been my goal to be at this event and to win it feels amazing. I was sailing back in and I just started crying, I felt so emotional.

“I have practiced a lot how to control myself under pressure. This whole regatta, I never felt nervous, I felt pretty calm.

“I really wanted to prove America has a place on the podium, especially in ILCA 6. To show we have a place here is such a great feeling.”

Cyprus’ Emilios Max Boeros claimed bronze, with his 10^th-place finish taking him to 63 points. Victory in the final race went to Israel’s Elad Dahan.

Female ILCA 6: De Tomas triumphs

Just the ninth and final race was left to be run in the female ILCA 6 and a fourth-place finish was enough for Spain’s Irene de Tomas to keep her grip on top spot.

She finished on 50 points, 14 ahead of Poland’s silver medallist Hanna Rogowska, with Germany’s Mirja Dohle in third on 75. Ukraine’s Alina Shapovalova’s closing victory moved her up to fifth overall.

De Tomas said: “It feels amazing. My tears came out after racing, I cannot describe this feeling.

“At the beginning of the day, it was pretty stressful waiting at the shore. When I went to the water, I just thought about how well I have been sailing and I had to stay calm.”

Male/mixed 29er: Polish pair triumph by single point

Szymon Kolka and Bartosz Zmudzinski became male/mixed 29er champions after a thrilling finish.

Just two of Friday’s four scheduled races were possible and Nolann Huet Des Aunay and Titouan Gresset won the first of them – their third in succession in the regatta – to move into pole position.

But the French pair came home 12^th in the final race and were leapfrogged by Kolka and Zmudzinski, whose sixth-place finish took them to 35 points, enough to seal gold by a single point.

Zmudzinski said: “It feels amazing. We only had two races so we just wanted to keep our heads and do our stuff, and we did.”

Kolka said: “I would like to dedicate this to my grandad, who is in hospital, as well as to my parents – and my maths teacher. When we went to the EuroCup this year, I had to retake my maths test, which I didn’t do very well the first time. She told me that if I ever did an interview, I should thank her!”

Female 29er: Edwards and Hiscocks hold on for gold

The female 29er top two were also separated by one point, with Great Britain’s Lila Edwards and Amelie Hiscocks holding off the challenge of Poland’s Antonina Puchowska and Alicja Dampc.

The British pair finished third in the opening race and their 18^th-placed finish in the final contest was discarded, while Puchowska and Dampc recorded back-to-back runners-up finishes.

Edwards said: “We have worked so hard and I am so glad it has paid off.

“Our aim going out there was to keep it simple and sail the best race we could. In the first one, we managed to do that, the second one went not quite to plan. But luckily we had done enough.”

Hiscocks said: “It doesn’t feel real yet. It is great for the whole team, we have won some other medals and had a bit of a celebration in the water. It hasn’t sunk in and I don’t think it will for a while.”

Male/Mixed 420: Madonich and Karabadzhak claim honours

Sviatoslav Madonich and Dmytro Karabadzhak timed their charge to perfection to land male/mixed 420 gold.

Three races took place on the final day and the Ukrainians bounced back from a discarded 15^th in the opener with a win and a third to move to 25 points, leapfrogging Israel’s Ziv Shtub and Loya Sheffler, who led going into the final race.

Madonich said: “The first race today was super tough but we stayed together and gave it our all. We did a good job and we are super happy.

“It means a lot to us. We had a lot of support and it means a lot to show we can do it, especially at this moment with what is happening in our country.”

New Zealand’s Cameron Brown and Oliver Stone, who started the day seventh, reeled off three second places to earn bronze on 38 points, eight ahead of Brazil’s world and European champions Said Royo and Bernardo Oliveira.

Female 420: Potter and Nieuwland win gold

No racing was possible on the final day of the female 420 competition, with the AP/A flag displayed at 2.20pm.

That meant gold went to British pair Sabine Potter and Merle Nieuwland, who finished on 29 points after eight races, six clear of silver medallists Emy Combet and Juliette Peyre. New Zealand’s Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson earned bronze on 39.

Nieuwland said: “We have just been crying and I just can’t believe it.

“My heart has been in my throat all day, it has been awful. We have been keeping our cool and mentally preparing ourselves to go out but the last few hours have been torture!”

Potter added: “It’s unreal. Going into this, we never thought this was possible for us. It is an amazing achievement, we are just so happy.”

Nacra 15: Sirena and Dessy retain crown

Lorenzo Sirena and Alice Dessy became back-to-back Youth World champions in the Nacra 15 after closing out their advantage on the final day.

The Italian duo won the penultimate race and came fifth in the final one, their last together as a pairing, to finish on 29 points, 14 clear of silver medallists Marius Praud and Emilie Mansouri, of France.

Sirena said: “It is a great feeling to win this event twice.”

“We came here for this and we are really happy to achieve this goal.”

Male Formula Kite: Stragiotti completes perfect regatta

Just one race was possible on the final day of male Formula Kite competition and it went the same way as the previous eight, with Gian Andrea Stragiotti completing a clean sweep of victories to finish on seven points.

Stragiotti said: “There is no better way to finish my last U19 regatta.”

Female Formula Kite: Champion Li stays unbeaten

China’s Suofeiya Li completed a perfect week in the female Formula Kite with her ninth straight victory.

Li claimed gold on seven points, with Great Britain’s Emma Rennie finishing third in the final race to secure silver on 19.

Male iQFOiL: Rajuan racks up victory

Peleg Rajuan finished with a flourish to stay top of the male iQFOiL standings.

The first races of the day were split into two heats and Rajuan won his before following up with another victory in the ninth and final race, involving the whole fleet, to finish on 10 points.

Italy’s Mattia Saoncella took silver on 21 points, with Australia’s Rory Meehan, who won race eight, completing the podium on 24.