2026 Musto iQfoil World Championships: Omer Takes the Lead
A lighter and more unpredictable breeze brought another change of pace to the 2026 MUSTO iQFOiL World Championshipstoday in Weymouth and Portland, where both the Men’s and Women’s fleets completed four Sprint Slalom races in tricky, shifty and gusty conditions.
With the forecast suggesting the wind would become progressively lighter during the afternoon, Principal Race Officer Ewa Jodlowska opted for an early start at 11:00. The decision paid off, with the Race Committee making the most of a 7–12 knot breeze to complete the full four-race program on the first day of the Final Series for both fleets before conditions deteriorated.
After the stronger winds and four Course Races of Day 2, today required a completely different approach. The compact Sprint Slalom format put a premium on acceleration, positioning and clean manoeuvres, while significant variations in both wind direction and pressure meant opportunities, and potential losses, came quickly.
In the Women’s fleet, Tamar Steinberg (ISR) continues to lead after another solid day. The reigning European Champion started the Worlds with four consecutive wins and added another bullet yesterday; today, despite the less predictable Slalom conditions, she did enough at the beginning of the Championship to maintain a clear advantage with 47 net points. Stella Bilger (AUS)remains second on 61 points, while Sharon Kantor (ISR) produced a remarkably consistent Slalom series, with three third places followed by a fifth, to climb into third overall on 62. 15-year-old Medea Falcioni (ITA), who impressed with a race win yesterday, remains firmly in contention in fourth, just three points behind Kantor, while home sailor Islay Watson (GBR) sits fifth.
The Men’s fleet saw a bigger shake-up at the top. After Noah Lyons’ two Course Race victories had propelled him into the lead on Day 2, Yoav Omer (ISR) made the most of today’s Sprint Slalom conditions to move into first overall. Omer now leads with 25 net points, just one ahead of Noah Lyons (USA)on 26. Johan Søe (DEN) is another single point back in third on 27 after finishing the day with back-to-back race wins, making the battle at the front exceptionally tight. Reigning European Champion Luuc van Opzeeland (NED)is fourth on 33 points, while RS:X Olympic Champion Kiran Badloe (NED)has moved into the provisional top five.
Three days into the championship, Weymouth and Portland has already delivered a broad range of conditions and racing formats, from Upwind Sprints on the opening day to strong-wind Course Racing and now light-wind Sprint Slalom. With the standings tightening and the championship moving into its decisive second half, consistency across formats is becoming increasingly important.
From tomorrow, Thursday September 10, the action will also be available to watch live, with coverage continuing on Friday and through the Medal Series on Saturday, September 12.
