49er Sailors Sweep the Halifax SailGP Podium

If you needed any further proof that the 49er is the ultimate proving ground for high-performance sailing, look no further than the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax two weeks ago. In a dramatic four-boat final on the F50 catamarans, the top three places were claimed by sailors whose careers were shaped in the 49er class.

Gold: Diego Botín & Florian Trittel — Los Gallos (Spain)
Taking the win in Halifax were Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, who claimed Olympic gold in the 49er at the Paris 2024 Games in Marseille,  just 19 days after winning SailGP’s Season 4 championship in San Francisco. That double in a single summer remains one of the most remarkable achievements in modern sailing.

In Halifax, Los Gallos made it count when it mattered most, securing their first event win of the 2026 season and sending a clear message to the rest of the fleet. The 49er school keeps delivering at the very top.

Silver: Nathan Outteridge — Artemis SailGP Team (Sweden)

Finishing second was the Artemis SailGP Team, skippered by Nathan Outteridge, a man whose 49er CV is as long as it is glittering. A three-time ISAF Youth World Champion, Outteridge won Olympic gold in the 49er at the 2012 London Games with Iain Jensen, then followed it with silver at Rio 2016. Across his career he has accumulated over 15 world championship medals across multiple classes, with the 49er at the heart of it all.

Now flying the flag for Sweden in SailGP’s newest team, Outteridge pushed Los Gallos hard in a tight final, proving once again that the racing instincts forged in the 49er translate seamlessly to the biggest stages in sailing.

Bronze: Sébastien Schneiter — Explora Journeys Swiss SailGP Team (Switzerland)

Completing a remarkable 49er clean sweep of the podium was Switzerland’s Sébastien Schneiter. The Geneva-born driver campaigned the 49er at Paris 2024 alongside Arno de Planta, finishing eighth, and he has used that Olympic campaign as a direct development pathway into SailGP. De Planta himself is part of the Swiss SailGP setup, keeping that 49er DNA firmly embedded in the programme.

Schneiter’s third place in Halifax is another data point in a growing body of evidence: if you want to build an elite SailGP sailor, start them in a 49er.

The 49er Pipeline Is Real

Halifax wasn’t a coincidence. It was a pattern made unmistakable.

The 49er has long been the class where the world’s best racing sailors prove themselves. Its speed, physical demands, and unforgiving tactical environment produce sailors who are ready for anything. The F50 catamarans that SailGP races are a world apart in size and power, yet the podium in Halifax read like a 49er world championship roll of honour.