The first day of the 2026 470 Junior World Championship delivered outstanding sailing conditions in Gdynia. Three races were completed for both fleets. After a long day on the water, France’s Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel lead the overall standings with an impressive scoreline of 2-1-1. They are tied on points with Norway’s Julia Jacobsen and Victor Lööf, who posted exactly the same results.
The championship opened with a steady northerly breeze of 12–16 knots and moderate waves on Gdynia Bay. A total of 55 teams from around the world completed three races. The wind remained consistent throughout the day, finishing at around 14–16 knots. The Oscar flag was displayed all day, meaning pumping was permitted under the class rules.
“Today was super hard in conditions, super difficult, but we managed to win the start, and we had really good speed with other boats“, said the leaders, Valade and Bunel from France.
The first race victories went to the reigning 2025 Junior World Champions – Roy Levy and Ariel Gal in the Blue Fleet, and Amelie Wehrle and Riccardo Honold in the Yellow Fleet. With several of the favourites already at the top of the leaderboard, the opening day showed just how competitive this championship is going to be.
The standout performances came from the two teams currently sharing the lead. France’s Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel, silver medallists at the previous Junior Worlds, recorded a 2nd place followed by two race wins. Norway’s Julia Jacobsen and Victor Lööf matched those results exactly, leaving the two teams tied at the top after day one.
Third overall are Germany’s Amelie Wehrle and Riccardo Honold. After winning one race and finishing second in another, they crossed the line eighth in the final race. With one discard already in effect, they remain just behind the leading pair. Roy Levy and Ariel Gal of Israel are fourth overall, while Great Britain’s James Crossley and Noah Fitzgerald complete the top five as the highest-ranked all-male crew.
In the Under-21 category, Italy’s Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio lead the standings after the opening day. Tehila Sidis and Amitai Levkovitz are in second place, while Sviatoslav Madonich and Yelyzaveta Vasylenko are third.
Karolina Soltaniuk – International 470 Media Manager
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