Ethan Fong will carry New Zealand's flag to Middelfart, Denmark, in June 2026 after winning the New Zealand Youth Match Racing Worlds Trials at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron over the weekend. The prize on offer was singular: a berth at the 2026 Youth Match Racing World Championship. Six of the country's most promising young skippers competed for it across two demanding days of racing, and Fong earned it the hard way.
The regatta was sailed in Elliott 7m sportsboats, a class that leaves no room for error. Margins between competitors are tight by nature, and in the light, unpredictable conditions that plagued both days, the slightest lapse in concentration or timing could cost a race. Day one was particularly gruelling. Wind failures forced lengthy delays, and racing did not begin in earnest until late afternoon. Race management worked hard to keep the programme viable, threading enough flights through the intermittent breeze to preserve the knockout finals for day two. Even when pressure did fill in, competitors were constantly adjusting between near-drifting patches and brief windows of useful wind.
"The racing was extremely tricky with super light and shifty winds. Everyone was on their game," Fong said.
The round robin stage had already demonstrated how evenly matched the leading group was. Fong, Josh Hyde, and Samuel Scott all closed out that phase with identical 4–1 records, each winning four of their five matches. That three-way deadlock at the top gave the semifinal draws real significance, with precious little separating the title contenders going into the knockouts.
Both semifinals were settled convincingly in scoreline terms, though the racing itself was anything but straightforward. Fong accounted for Scott 3–0, a margin that flattered the result slightly. "We had some super close racing against Sam Scott in the semis, which was awesome," Fong said. Hyde was equally clinical against Rory Sims, dismissing him 3–0 through a combination of sharp boat handling and disciplined tactical choices.
The final between Fong and Hyde lived up to every expectation. Across five races, neither sailor was able to establish a decisive edge, and the match went the full distance before a winner emerged. Hyde struck first, taking race one to open his account. Fong responded immediately to level it, then won two in a row to move within one of the title. Hyde refused to fold, claiming the fourth race to force a decider. Fong held his nerve and closed it out, winning 3–2.
"It was a super even battle, no one really had a huge speed or boat handling advantage," Fong said. "We made small gains on the start, and our downwind strategy improved over the entire final series."
The race committee noted it as a hard-fought contest between two sailors who continued to push each other to the limit from the first race to the last. "It's always a battle racing Josh, we know we have to be sailing at our best to beat him," Fong added.
Scott secured third place on the podium by defeating Sims 2–0 in the petit final. Sims finished fourth overall, having shown genuine pace throughout the regatta. Robbie Wooldridge and Teaghan Denney rounded out the six-boat fleet after a tough series.
Final standings
- Ethan Fong - Josh Hyde - Samuel Scott - Rory Sims - Robbie Wooldridge - Teaghan Denney
Fong will travel to Middelfart, Denmark, for the 2026 Youth Match Racing World Championship, which runs from 21 to 25 June 2026. He will be joined by crew members Lucas Day, Harry McMullen, Hugo McMullen, and Amelia Angus.
"Representing New Zealand at Youth Worlds means a lot to the team," Fong said. "We have put in so much effort over the past few years and for it to pay off when it mattered it's great. This is the regatta I've wanted to do since I started match racing, and to be there this year it's awesome. We are super excited to have a good crack at racing the best teams all around the world."
The closeness of competition across the full fleet pointed to something broader than one sailor's strong weekend. From the round robin deadlock at the top to the five-race final, New Zealand's depth of young match racing talent was on show throughout, with Fong proving the best of that group when it counted most.
