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 12th-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 10th-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.
“The best thing was with my parents, they gave me a really big hug. I want to thank them and everyone who has been supporting me.”
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 12th 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!”
The final spot on the podium was decided by the same narrow margin, with Brazil’s Zion Brandao and Joao Joppert holding on for bronze on 45 points. Italy’s Giuseppe Montesano and Enrico Coslovich finished a point further back.
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 18th-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.”
Bronze went to Argentina’s Carolina Barcelo and Agustina Arguelles ahead of French pair Victoire Papin and Tsippora Jouan, who won both races on the final day.
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 15th 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.
“It is the beginning of something huge, I believe, and we look forward to more big events in the future.”
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!
“The support we have had is just unbelievable, unlike anything we have ever experienced.”
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.
“We have done four amazing years together and to finish like this has been wonderful.”
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.
“It is a great feeling to win this event twice,” Sirena said. “We couldn’t have wanted more than this. We came here for this and we are really happy to achieve this goal.
“This is our last race on the Nacra 15 together. I am going to sail the Nacra 17 and Alice is staying on the Nacra 15 and moving to helm. It is a good motivation to go for new goals and enjoy sailing every day.”
Dylan Tomko and Casey Small (USA) claimed bronze in dramatic circumstances. Belgium’s Lotte Meynen and Simon Jacobs were initially occupying third place but were later disqualified following an incident in race 12 which saw them adjudged to have failed to give mark-room to Spain. The Americans and Belgians finished level on 48 points, with Tomko and Small finishing ahead on countback.
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. It feels much better than last year, first feels way better than second.
“I stuck to my plan, sailed clean without any touches or tangles and stayed calm on the water.”
New Zealand’s Toby Wigglesworth won silver on 29.0, with France’s Nell de Jaham claiming bronze on 29.1.
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. Poland’s Karolina Jankowska earned bronze with 21.
Li said: “I don’t think it has hit me yet but I am really happy and proud.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to come out here and race. This whole regatta was a test of patience and how calm you can be. I got on a streak and at the moment, it all still feels a little surreal.”
Male iQFOiL: Rajuan racks up victory
Peleg Rajuan finished with a flourish to stay top of the male iQFOiL standings and earn gold for Israel.
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.
“It was light wind today, it took us more than an hour to get to the course and we didn’t know if we would race,” he said.
“But I stayed in the mood to race as I knew I needed to be strong to have a good result, which is what I did.
“I am very proud. I am moving to the senior class now and I am going to keep doing my best.”
Italy’s Mattia Saoncella took silver on 21 points, with Australia’s Rory Meehan, who won race eight, completing the podium on 24.
Female iQFOiL: Unbeaten Falcioni flies to gold
Italy’s rising star Medea Falcioni completed an invincible week with victories in all three races on Friday, claiming gold with just six points.
The 15-year-old has won World and European titles this year and put the seal on an incredible 2025 in Vilamoura, finishing at the summit with just six points.
“Winning every race in a regatta has never happened to me before,” she said.
“I am so happy with that, especially as we had such different conditions across the week.
“I am looking forward to some days at home as it feels like I have not really been there this year, so I feel like there will be a good celebration.”
Taisia Stopchenko (AIN) claimed silver on 13 points, with Turkey’s Nurhayat Guven rounding out the podium on 15.
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