Slingsby wins SailGP Rio final with four straight victories on Sunday

Tom Slingsby and the Bonds Flying Roos swept all four races on Sunday at SailGP Rio 2026, including the championship final staged beneath Sugarloaf Mountain. Three boats, nine minutes of racing, two lead changes.

Artemis arrived early off the right and built speed well before the gun. Slingsby and Spain came from the middle, tighter on the clock. Australia led through the first mark with Los Gallos nine seconds adrift and Artemis pressing close behind. Through those opening marks the three crews were inseparable, none able to open up any real breathing room.

The shift came when Artemis fouled Spain at the marks. The umpires called it immediately and Peter Outteridge had no choice but to check pace and concede the position, dropping Artemis to third. Australia was already clear ahead while Spain settled into second, focused on holding it. With nine championship points guaranteed for that spot, chasing Slingsby was never the priority.

By the third mark Spain sat 31 seconds behind Australia, Sweden 26 back. At the fourth mark the gap between Australia and the two boats behind had blown out to five and a half minutes, with Spain and Sweden now just five seconds apart and scrapping between themselves. A mid-race penalty against Sweden for failing to give Spain sufficient room cost Artemis further ground.

The fifth mark saw Slingsby at 7:52, Spain 32 seconds in arrears, Sweden 37. The Bonds Flying Roos crossed the line in 9:07. Spain followed 20 seconds later, Sweden 25 seconds later in third.

Slingsby kept it simple afterwards. "We raced well today," he said. Four wins from four starts on Sunday told the rest of the story.

Spain's second place banked nine championship points and gave the new ownership group at Los Gallos something real to show for their first Rio. For Artemis, third place in their first ever event final was a genuine result. Outteridge sailed alongside Kiwis Andy Maloney and Brad Farrand, a crew that arrived as a dark horse and left with a podium.

Congratulations to Tom Slingsby and the BONDS Flying Roos.

Race results

Event points

Final race results