Winners Crowned in 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía
It was a big final day at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía, with titles decided across all three Olympic fleets after a week of tight racing and a few late twists.
The Nacra 17 fleet was first to wrap up, and also the first to race under the new format: two final races instead of a single double-points medal race. It definitely kept things open a bit longer.
Sweden’s Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson had already put themselves in a strong position going into the final day, leading the fleet after a seriously impressive week. What makes their win stand out even more is what they dealt with off the water. Both had been sick during the regatta, and were also coping with the loss of their grandparents.
They could easily have let that affect them, but instead they just kept pushing. They won half the races they sailed this and looked in control pretty much all week. On the final day, they stayed calm, finishing 5th and 2nd in the two finals, which was more than enough to secure the overall win on 20 points.
Behind them, Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco finished second, while Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet came through late to take third. It hadn’t been their best week overall, but they stepped up when it counted, finishing 2nd and 1st on the final day.
Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammar, who had been right in the mix all week, had a tough last day with two 10th places, dropping them back to fourth.
49er: Germans Turn It Around on Final Day
In the 49er, it was all to play for going into the final races.
Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid (USA) had led the standings most of the week and looked solid coming into the day. They’ve been building nicely over the past year collecting some medals in 2025 and training in New Zealand with some of the top teams in the winter, and it’s been showing…
But the final day didn’t quite go their way.
Instead, it was Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger who stepped up. Starting the day in second, they put together exactly what they needed — a 4th in the first race and then a win in the last race — to take the overall victory. It’s a big one for them, their first event win as a team after a string of second places at last years regattas.
China’s Xin Wang and Tianyu Qi were one of the standout teams of the week. They’d already turned heads with a couple of race wins yesterday, and they kept it going on the final day with a 3rd and a 5th to hold onto third overall. That result could be pretty important with Asian Games selection still on the line.
49erFX: Late Penalty Shakes Up the Podium
The 49erFX fleet probably delivered the most drama of the day.
Paula Barceló and María Cantero looked like they had it under control. The Spanish pair — with Barceló racing on home waters — have been on a serious run lately as reigning world champions, and again this week they showed just how hard they are to beat.
They started the final day perfectly, winning the first race and putting themselves in a great position to take the title.
Then it all changed.
In the last race, they were penalised for “pumping” and had to do a 360. That dropped them to the back of the fleet, and just like that, the overall win slipped away. They ended up third — a really tough one to take, especially at home.
That opened the door for Canada’s Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance, who had been right there in the top all week. They didn’t need anything spectacular on the final day — just solid results — and that’s exactly what they delivered with a 4th and a 5th, which was enough to move them into first overall and take the win.
Behind them, it couldn’t have been much tighter. Germany’s Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer finished second after a super consistent week, but they were incredibly close to taking the overall victory. It all came down to the final race, where a photo finish between Canada and Norway decided everything — if Norway had crossed just ahead of Canada, the Germans would have won the regatta overall.
