New Zealand's Aimee Bright has won the 2026 iQFOiL U23 World Championships in Poland, completing a commanding performance that saw her lead the women's fleet from start to finish.
Bright defeated Norway's Maya Gysler in a tightly contested Grand Final on the Bay of Puck, with Australia's Stella Bilger taking bronze. The victory marks a significant step up for Bright, who was the 2025 silver medallist from Portimão and had overcome illness disruption at Weymouth in September.
The women's final turned on a critical error. Gysler underlaid the second mark in the super-light wind conditions, forcing extra gybes that cost her crucial distance and any realistic chance of overhauling Bright.
The men's competition delivered a dramatic reversal. Italy's Leonardo Tomasini overturned teammate Federico Alan Pilloni's week-long lead in the final day's Slalom racing to claim gold. Pilloni, who had topped the qualification series, settled for silver. Poland's Stanislaw Trepczynski secured bronze on home waters after winning three races on Friday to earn his Semi Final spot.
Germany's Sophia Meyer provided another standout storyline, scraping into the Medal Series in tenth place before charging through the knockout format to finish fourth overall—a remarkable turnaround from outside the top ten just two days earlier.
The six-day championship tested 148 sailors from 34 nations across varied conditions, from strong-wind course racing to the marginal, unstable breeze that defined the Medal Series finale. Multiple re-runs were required before the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Grand Finals could be completed.
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