Golden double and dramatic final race showdown bring World Sailing Inclusion Championships to a close

Poland’s Piotr Cichocki claimed an impressive double gold, while Sweden’s Fia Fjelddahl and Patric Rosenberg survived a thrilling final-race showdown, as the 2026 World Sailing Inclusion Championships came to a close in Portimão, Portugal on Saturday (10 October).

After six days of competition, the championships delivered a fitting finale, with titles decided across a diverse range of Para Inclusive sailing disciplines.

Great Britain’s James Coxon completed a remarkable return to the sport with victory in the Challenger multihull, while Lucy Hodges and her GBR 2 team successfully defended their Vision Impairment title.

Racing throughout the week tested sailors in everything from strong winds and challenging seas to lighter, tactical conditions, with Saturday’s final races providing one last opportunity for positions to change.

Cichocki completes golden double

Poland’s Piotr Cichocki emerged as one of the outstanding performers of the championships, securing gold in both the Para Inclusive One Person Keelboat (Hansa 303) and also the Inclusive Two Person Keelboat (Hansa 303), alongside his wife Joanna Cichocka.

The double triumph capped an exceptional week for the experienced Polish sailor, who had been locked in a close battle with Germany’s Jens Kroker in the singles competition.

Only two points separated the pair heading into the final day, setting up a tense conclusion to one of the championships’ most competitive fleets.

Relishing the pressure, Cichocki sealed the world title in style in Portimão, with two more race wins cementing his victory. Kroker held on to silver, with Portugal’s João Pinto securing bronze.

The doubles competition was a different story, with Cichocki and Cichocka building a commanding 20-point advantage before the final day. They finished with a flourish, adding two more race wins on Saturday to round off a dominant week, finishing 25 points ahead of Portugal’s Carlos Santos-João Pinto and Korean duo Mun Sungwon-Dongjin Yun.

“I’m very happy that I managed to win gold in both competitions,” said Cichocki. “I love Portimão. The weather is beautiful, and everything worked out.

“The level of sailing here was very high, and the sailing has been fantastic. The currents are a challenge because we’re sailing on the ocean, but everything was great. I love Portimão!”

Asked about the secret to their success as a husband-and-wife team, Joanna joked: “I try not to disturb Piotr when he’s concentrating. We work well together.”

With next year’s championships heading to their home waters in Gdynia, Poland, the pair are already looking forward to defending their titles.

“Of course, it will be a great pleasure for us to welcome everyone to Gdynia,” said Joanna.

Cichocki added: “There are no currents. The wind is changeable, and it’s definitely cooler. We don’t get the same kind of sunshine as here!”

Swedish pair survive last-day drama

If Cichocki’s double gold was one of the standout achievements, the Para Inclusive Two Person Keelboat fleet, sailed in RS Venture Connects, provided most of the drama on the final day.

Sweden’s Fia Fjelddahl and Patric Rosenberg entered the day with a ten-point lead over their nearest rivals, but a tenth-place finish in the opening race saw their advantage over Spain’s Pau Toni Homar and Ramón Gutiérrez shrink to just two points.

With everything riding on the final race, the Swedish pair were forced to watch their title hopes swing back and forth as positions changed around the course.

“We knew that we just had to have one boat between us and Spain, and we had one boat between us and Spain,” explained Fjelddahl.

“And then, on the last upwind, another boat came in between us. So stressful!”

The decisive moment came when an Austrian boat overtook the Spanish challengers, helping Sweden secure the gold medal on countback.

“Suddenly Austria was sailing so fast that they came in front of Spain, and we had the gold!” said Fjelddahl. “Thank you, Austria!”

For Rosenberg, the victory was particularly emotional after the pair had suffered narrow defeats in previous championships.

“It was kind of easy until today. Today it was really, really hard,” he admitted. “I really wanted this.”

The victory rounded off an unforgettable week for Fjelddahl, who also celebrated her engagement after her boyfriend proposed in the Algarve earlier in the championships.

“I've had the best week of my life. It doesn't get much better than that!” she said.

Pau Toni Homar-Ramón Gutiérrez picked up silver for Spain, with Norway’s Stian Kristiansen-Elliot Finnestrand claiming bronze to round off the overall podium spots.

Coxon celebrates remarkable return to sailing

Great Britain’s James Coxon completed one of the event’s most compelling comeback stories, winning the Para Inclusive One Person Multihull title in the Challenger class.

Having returned to his first love of sailing after breaking world record in the world of recumbent cycling following his diagnosis for a rare form of motor neurone disease, Coxon arrived in Portimão with limited recent racing experience and little idea of how he would measure up against the international fleet.

But a string of strong performances, including three straight race wins on Friday, put him in pole position heading into the final day, where a third and a first were enough to confirm gold.

“It’s been brilliant. This is the first international competition I’ve done since coming back to sailing, and probably only the third event I’ve competed in since returning,” said Coxon.

“So it’s absolutely amazing. I’m speechless. Very pleased.”

Saturday’s lighter conditions demanded a different approach, with Coxon admitting that the final races were far from straightforward.

“The last race just seemed to work out for me. A bit more luck than judgement, but sometimes luck is on your side,” he said.

Coxon led a British podium sweep in the multihull event, with Val Millward and Bex Foulsham taking silver and bronze respectively.

Hodges and British team defend Vision Impairment crown

Great Britain’s Lucy Hodges, Jamie Tylecote, Liam Cattermole and Steve Tylecote successfully defended their Vision Impairment title, completing another outstanding performance in the RS21 fleet.

The British quartet led the standings throughout the week, but faced strong competition from Spain and an increasingly competitive international field.

“It’s been a lovely regatta, bringing everything – waves, chop, wind and no wind,” said Hodges. “It’s thrown everything at us all week long, so I feel really proud, and it’s good to defend the title again.”

The victory was built on teamwork and communication, with the four sailors now in their second season racing together.

“I guess it’s just clear and concise communication between us, really,” explained Jamie Tylecote of the team’s winning formula. “Making sure every instruction and decision is communicated clearly is really important to getting around the racecourse well.”

For Hodges, however, the championships represent more than another gold medal.

“The ultimate goal really was to get more countries involved, and we’ve done that,” she said. “All I want to do is keep growing the number of countries taking part.”

Spain’s Daniel Anglada Pich, Carmen Lopez Garcia, Jordi Sánchez Pérez and Monica Azon Canalda claimed overall silver in the Vision Impairment event, with Christina Morris, Ben Tylecote, Karl Haines and Colin Midgley in bronze.

Champions crowned across the fleets

Elsewhere, Finland’s Marko Dahlberg finished his week in style in the Para Inclusive One Person Technical Keelboat (2.4mR).

Having led the event from day one, he also spearheaded a dominant Finnish performance, rounding out the regatta win ahead of his son, Otto Dahlberg, and Rikard Bjurström in second and third respectively.

Hong Kong, China’s Tsz Hin Cheung had established himself as the sailor to beat all week in the Para Intellectual Impairment competition and confirmed that in the sole race today for the ILCA 6 sailors, with Portugal’s José Campos also securing the Inclusive Cognitive Impairment gold.

These championships also marked an important milestone for Inclusive Wingfoil, with the new seated discipline making its debut on the programme as a demonstration event. Light wind conditions, however, prevented any racing on the final day, meaning overnight leader Charlie Wolf from Great Britain maintained gold medal position, with compatriot Jazz Turner in silver position and Vietnam’s Truc Diep taking bronze.

The Nations Trophy for the overall top performing nation went to Great Britain.

A championship with a growing global reach

This second edition of the World Sailing Inclusion Championships brought together 222 athletes from 40 nations in Portimão.

World Sailing’s Inclusive Development Programme has helped emerging sailing nations access coaching and international competition, supported in part by funding from the America’s Cup.

World Sailing CEO David Graham hailed the success of the championships and the continued growth of inclusive sailing.

“The vision of it is just going to get bigger and stronger. We’re testing new disciplines here, and it’s been a phenomenal week,” he said.

He also praised the organisers, Vela Solidária, and the volunteers whose efforts helped make the event such a success.

“These events don’t work without the organising committees, and we’ve had a special one this time.”