The 57th Semaine Olympique Française: Finals Friday fliers fear favourites in Hyères but Nacra nosedive shows no gold guaranteed
Day 4
iQFOiL and Formula Kite finals day Friday
And on the fifth race she rested…Two dominant leaders in the kite - Nolot and Maeder
Double Olympic champions Nacra nosedive
As local favourites, Lauriane Nolot and Singapore’s flying teenager, Max Maeder, soared into Friday’s finals with perfect racing, this Hyères spectacular showed that even the greatest are human. Italy’s double Olympic champions, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti, the dominant force in the Nacra this week - this decade - nosedived in the second race and down the leaderboard. But this is why they come to this stretch of the Med, because the challenge is different every day. Do not bet against them storming back by Saturday’s finals, but it gave the rest of the fleets hope in the face of Olympic odds and gods.
Thursday brought the forecast big easterlies to the 57th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères – TPM and if they were slightly reduced for most by few knots - those further out in the bay still felt the chop.
The top 10 from the iQFOiL and Formula Kite move to finals day on Friday. The other six fleets have final day on Friday. Rather than big easterlies they will face 10-12-knot southwesterlies heading westerly to 16-18 knots later in the afternoon with a much calmer sea state.
The iQFOiL and Formula Kite finals format are below*.
Nacra 17 (mixed double-handed catamaran)
Another 80% day for Nacra 17 on the Charlie course, one of the furthest out and in the biggest competitions. The wind was dropping from the peak by the time they raced on Wednesday, but increasing today, and every 30 seconds the choppy sea state threw up 2-3 metres cross waves. It was powerful and technical, the crews could attack, but only if they could keep the bows and platform under control. It was a test even for the best.
Tita & Banti’s (ITA) broken gennaker tack in the second of three races has thrown the class wide open. They had been the dominant force, and If they can make a satisfactory repair overnight they will try to storm back tomorrow, but in their absence the top three took the opportunity to put some distance between them. Their compatriots, Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei, took the overall lead after two impressive second place finishes in the last two races, ahead of the Argentinians Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco, and the French duo Tim Mourniac and Aloïse Retornaz, who won the last race. The French beat the Italian leaders after battling the whole way round the race 3 course, then the French were ruled over the line at the start, but that was overturned on appeal. On such fine margins are champion boats broken, races won and titles decided.
Caterina Banti (ITA)
During the second race we broke the spinnaker pole. We tried to replace it for the third race but we didn’t have time. We nosedived and just broke the pole - it can happen. There is some work to do (on the boat)!
Gianluigi Ugolini & Maria Giubilei (ITA)
GU: We were not sure if we were OCS on the last one. They (the French) finished first, but they were out (over the line at the start).
It's the first event after a long time, we are happy with our winter training and we are trying to apply all we learned this winter - and it's working out!
We are really fast in a lot of different conditions and we are managing to do a good race.
MG: Yes, the first two days, because the whole fleet was altogether on one course, it was not easy at the start (line). But then we managed to climb the ranking during the race, so it was good for us. still a lot of learnings for sure. And then the last two days, we had similar conditions because a lot of wind, big waves. so quite challenging and fun. I would say this regatta is a good one for testing all the things we want to test from the winter training. We're pretty happy with it.
Our main goal is the worlds. So we are using this to be sure that everything is working so that we try to be ready.
GU: The level of the fleet has risen a lot. I think now you need to be happy with top five results now if you want to be on top because all the fleet is pretty fast, the top boats are really, very fast and really consistent and competitive.
[On how close they were to the maximum capacity of the boat in yesterday’s conditions]
GU: I think today was just as hard because the wind was dropping yesterday when we did our two races, and the wind and sea state was as big today at least - maybe harder.
MG: I think during training we also experienced worse!
But for sure it's quite challenging, having those conditions.
[In terms of what the boat can handle, what percentage?]
GU: 80%. For sure, this boat lifts quickly with all the adjustable rudder and foils but it can handle this sea state. You need a lot of training because it's not easy.
MG:
You need to be confident in those conditions.
[What separates the top boats]
GU: The top group have the ability to look out of their boat (to what else is happening).
MG:
To not only be focused on what you’re doing. You can have one person on the boat getting the boat going fast and the other focussing on the race. If you are taking your first steps , you have both sailors watching in the inside the boat. If you are more experienced and you sail more with this conditions, you're able to have one person looking outside of the boat.
49er (men’s and women’s double-handed skiff)
Clean handling was vital in the chop, especially in the transitions which saw the inexperienced sometimes getting in a tangle with their own kites - the marking buoys.
Women’s FX
Sweden’s Vilma Bobeck & Ebba Berntsson mastered the conditions best, winning the first two races and finishing second in the last to jump into third and open a gap on those behind.
Australia’s Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot continued their march up the leaderboard, hopping over Italy’s Sofia Giunchiglia & Giulia Schio, who could only finish nineteenth in the last race, but stayed second overall.
Men’s 49er
As all others struggled, consistent excellence also rewarded France’s Erwan Fischer & Clément Péquin with the lead after they finished 3, 1, 2 in their three races to move ahead of Ireland’s Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove.
Erwan Fisdher & Clément Péquin (FRA)
“We had three races in conditions between 16 and 18 knots, with quite a bit of chop. We’re really happy with how we sailed. Tomorrow, the final day of the qualifying rounds, the conditions will be very different again with a southwesterly wind, so we’ll have to adapt. The idea is to maintain a good mood, get good starts, and continue working on communication and the mental aspects. Winning a medal here is a goal. We love the Hyères sailing area; the wind is constantly changing, it’s really great. We’re determined to perform well here. The World Championships are in three weeks, the 49er fleet is strong, and the level of competition is exceptional. We know it won’t be easy to win a medal. But we have the opportunity, and we’re going to give it our all.”
ILCA 6 and 7 - (women’s & men’s solo dinghy)
Another day of hard hiking (if not quite so many heroics as Wednesday) tested the fitness of the two fleets and the Australian dominance was half broken in the fallout of some surprising results in the women’s fleet.
ILCA 6
Lots of big scores across the top of the leaderboard showed how hard the women’s fleet found it. 2024 SOF champion, USA’s Charlotte Rose backed up her win in the final race of Wednesday with a win in the first on Thursday but could only finish 12 and 9 in the next races. That was enough though in the chaos around her to open a lead at the top. Hungary’s Maria Erdi followed a Black Flag disqualification in the first with a 4 and then victory in the final race to move into second with Palma champion, Ireland’s Eve McMahon hanging on to third. The overnight leader, Australia’s Zoe Thomson, slipped back to eighth.
ILCA 7
Australia’s double Olympic champion, Matt Wearn, won the first two races of the day and despite looking more human and finishing fifth in the third and final race, he has opened up a gap at the top of an unusually spread leaderboard. His two British rivals, Michael Beckett and Elliot Hanson are within striking distance, but they need some magic or a Wearn slip over the next two days. Germany’s Philipp Buhl won the final race to put himself in contention.
Matt Wearn (AUS), ILCA 7
“Hyères is nice! Days like today; 18 degrees, nice wind, good waves.
The last two days have gone well, nice to have a bit more breeze and be hiking (laughs)! It certainly wasn’t as windy, the waves were picking up, which was nice for us. Shifty and tricky, it wasn’t a straightforward day for sure, we had to have eyes out of the boat and be thinking quite hard, we couldn’t just work hard and send it to one direction.
It’s always 100% in the ILCAs, the conditions need to be pretty diabolical for it to be about trying to survive, which is what is so great about it, we can go out in 30 knots if we need to. Yesterday (Wednesday) there were never any moments that felt like, this is a bit windy!
It was the same front few round the top mark, the British boys were up there and then it changed a little bit, a couple of Germans and Ethan (McAullay), another Aussie.
(The ILCA 7 fleet) is super strong, that top 20-25 boats are just about as good as it gets, there are no free races out there. I definitely have to be a better sailor now than I was back then (when he won his first gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics). The top guys are so good in all conditions, you can’t get away with having average results because they’ll pounce on you.
There's a fair bit of experience in that top 10 in the fleet, I think we've all been doing it for 10 plus years, so that probably helps a little bit. On the windier days, there's a fitness aspect to it as well. For us Australians, we sail in this stuff all the time. We’ve just come out of the big summer of it as well, so we're quite comfortable with the racing and the windy stuff as well.
I’m just getting back into it, back racing, I’ve been out of the boat for a while. It’s been a nice thing not having the expectations of doing too well. It’s a nice change, but there is always going to be expectation, both from myself and others, and I still want to win, but it’s nice to go out racing, get what you get and enjoy it.”
470 (mixed double-handed dinghy)
Not quite such epic conditions as Wednesday for the mixed dinghies and not quite so perfect for
Spain’s Jordi Xammar Hernández & Marta Cardona Alcántara. But they followed a perfect three victories on Wednesday with a third place and then victory in the second and final race of the day to open up a ten point lead over their nearest rivals, the British, Wrigley / Harris, with two French duos close behind.
Formula Kite (men’s and women’s kite)
Finals day Friday beckons. Two dominant leaders - who both won in Palma - await the rest. Launching from the beach in Salins, north of the Hyères sailing area and racing on Bravo course, the Kites had chop and churn again but more protection closer to shore.
Women
France’s Paris 2024 silver medalist, Lauriane Nolot, won the first four races of the day and on the fifth race she rested. Argentina’s Catalina Turienzo won that final race to guarantee second and a place in the final, with Britain and China looking like the likely challengers.
Lauriane Nolot (FRA)
“I won the first four races, and I had the luxury of not doing the last one because it was my discard, my joker, so I'm resting for tomorrow. Now everything is reset, I'm tied on points with second place, Argentina, for the final. My mood is good, I've been in good shape all week, so I don't see why that won't be the case tomorrow. My goal is victory, I really want to sing the Marseillaise on the podium!”
Men
Singapore’s Max Maeder did not rest! He scored the perfect five. A statement day. He won from the front, the side and the back. Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi, the SOF 2025 champion and second in Palma, was his most consistent challenger and goes through the final in second.
Max Maeder (SNG)
“I'm very happy with my coach, with my training partners, with my work over the winter, and I'm very, very happy to be able to deliver consistently, because sometimes you can't do that. Sometimes you can bring that on a day, even despite your best efforts, so that today was a day like that. I definitely want to be looking at how I can repeat it.
There was a whole mix (in the races) today. There was there was winning from the front early on. There was battling from the back and there was there was fighting in the race to end out on top, you had the whole range. Mostly similar people were around me.
[Finals tomorrow]
That's the goal to finish it in one race. It remains open until the very end. Anyone from the first place to tenth place can win that day.”
iQFOiL (men’s & women’s windsurfing)*
Finals day Friday beckons. The iQFoil were still powered up, but less hanging on than yesterday. It was fast, physical racing with sharp flight control over the chop.
Women
No one dominated the day and Israel’s Palma champion and SOF 2024 & 2025 champion,
Tamar Steinberg did enough to comfortably keep her overall lead. The drama came below her. Italy’s Olympic champion, Marta Maggetti, won the last of the four races today beating China’s Zheng Yan into second to hop above her into second on the leaderboard and guarantee a direct path to the final tomorrow.* China’s Wenqi Li won two races to move up to sixth.
Tamar Steinberg (ISR)
“The conditions were also challenging, because the wind was quite strong, but it was easier than yesterday to sail, which was a bit harder for me because I was really good yesterday because I managed to control the gear well. Today, was a bit more about the actual racing, so I was a bit less good. But I still managed to go up to first place for the race.
I'm pretty happy with my racing. There were a few mistakes, but yes, overall.
I really like Hyères, and I won here the last two years. So, of course, I really like this place and also we came here a bit before (the event) and I really enjoyed the training and the conditions and the venue onshore. The conditions change every day, it’s challenging, always different, so it's improving us.
I feel that the fleet is really getting to a higher level and really developing. On the light winds you could see everybody was so physical and pumping a lot, and the races were really hard. And then also in the strong winds when you need to control the gear everybody is getting much, much better in it.”
Men
Two wins out of the four races put Australia’s Paris 2024 silver medallist, Grae Morris straight into the final. Some big numbers saw overnight leader, Italy’s Nicolo Renna, drop into third, with China’s 2025 SOF champion, Kun Bi, doing what he needed to do to move into second and guarantee a place in the final. Renna will need to come through the semi-finals now along with compatriot, Federico Alan Pilloni, who won the other two races.
iQFOiL and Formula Kite finals format
The top 10 on the overall leaderboard qualify.
Quarter Finals: Competitors ranked 5th through 10th compete in one race. The top two qualify for the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals: The 3rd and 4th ranked competitors and the top two from the quarter-finals.
Finals: The top two from the semi-finals (with 0 points) and the leader and second-place finishers in the overall standings.
The winner is the first athlete to reach a total of 2 points.
The other six fleets (470, Nacra 17, 49er, FX, ILCA 6, ILCA 7), Saturday finals
The top ten in the standings will compete in the Final, where they will run two races. The points earned in the two races are added to the points accumulated during the final stages. The winner is the athlete with the fewest points.
