Fourth place can sting. But New Zealand's team racing sailors leave Stockholm knowing they beat everyone who mattered, including both teams that contested the gold medal final.
The Kiwi eight of Jordan Stevenson, Mason Mulcahy, Rebecca Morgan, Zoe Dawson, Frankie Dair, George Angus, Luis Schneider and Maeve White finished fourth at the 2026 Team Racing World Championship on Riddarfjärden, after Great Britain took the bronze medal race 2-0 on Sunday.
They'd already done the hard part. New Zealand won six consecutive races during the pool stage, including victories over both American squads who would go on to contest the final. That run pushed the Kiwis firmly into medal contention and announced them as serious players in a fleet spanning more than 10 nations across 220 races.
The bronze race itself was closely fought on the cold, grey waters of Riddarfjärden, the kind of inner-city venue that feels almost absurdly scenic until the wind funnels off the buildings. Great Britain held both races to claim third.
USA 1 from California took the title, defeating USA 2 from Massachusetts 3-0 in the final.
New Zealand had beaten both finalists during the pool stage. That's the detail that will linger long after the placings are forgotten, and it marks a strong return to the world stage for NZ team racing.
