iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships: upwind sprint brings the action to Varkiza as new leaders emerge

After two days of challenging wind conditions, the 2026 iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships finally delivered an action-packed afternoon of racing in Varkiza, Greece. The breeze took its time to settle, but the late afternoon brought ideal conditions for Upwind Sprint racing on both racecourses, allowing all four fleets to compete for the first time since the championship began.

 Hosted by the Nautical Club of Vari-Varkiza, the event has brought together 290 young sailors representing 31 nations, with today's racing providing the first opportunity to establish clearer standings after a difficult start to the week.

 In the U19 Men’s fleet, the leaderboard began to take shape, with Artun Şenol (TUR)emerging as the new overall leader. Behind the Turkish sailor, Kfir Nov (ISR) and Leon Jankowski (POL) are tied on points in second and third, keeping the battle at the top extremely close. One of the standout performances came from Moritz Schleicher (GER), the recently crowned U17 World Champion, who is competing against the older sailors in the U19 fleet. The German showed he is more than capable of challenging the best in the higher age category, delivering strong results to move into seventh overall.

 The U17 Boys completed four races, with František Burda (CZE) taking the overall lead after an impressive afternoon on the water. The Czech sailor, who had already been among the early leaders following the opening day's Slalom races, now sits at the top of the standings ahead of Enric Patiño Riutord (ESP) in second and Swann Manhaval (FRA) in third. With the fleet finally enjoying a full afternoon of competition, the fight for the European title is beginning to take shape.

 For the U19 Women, Day 3 marked their long-awaited debut on the racecourse, and the reigning World Champion Taisiia Stopchenko (RUS) immediately made her intentions clear. Stopchenko won all but one of her races to take the early championship lead, demonstrating the form that brought her the world title earlier this season.

 However, she faces a strong challenge from Julia Przybyl (POL), who also enjoyed an outstanding opening day, collecting four race wins to remain close behind in the overall standings. With both sailors showing exceptional speed from the outset, the U19 Women's competition promises to be one of the most closely watched battles of the championship.

 In the U17 Girls’ fleet, another reigning World Champion made an emphatic entrance. Parla Kabasakal (TUR) dominated the opening day of racing, winning every raceto establish herself as the early leader. The Turkish sailor, who claimed the U17 world title earlier this year, wasted no time in demonstrating why she is one of the leading talents in international youth windsurfing.

 With all four fleets finally in action and the championship standings beginning to take shape, the competition enters a new phase tomorrow. The U19 Men and U17 Boys will be divided into Gold and Silver fleets, raising the level of competition as the leading sailors begin racing directly against one another.

 After a challenging start to the week, Varkiza has finally delivered the conditions everyone was waiting for, setting the stage for an exciting second half of the 2026 iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships.