Italy's Laura Grasso Castagnetta and Greece's Evangelos Kyriazakos have been crowned Youth Olympic windsurfing champions at Dakar 2026, after a women's title race so close it had to be settled on tie-break.
The final race never got away in the light, shifty breeze off Senegal. Both Grasso Castagnetta and Spain's Olivia Sanchez finished on 24 points after 14 races, with the tie-break falling the Italian's way.
"I couldn't expect to reach this goal," said Grasso Castagnetta. "When I understood that I could take it, I gave it my best. I had a very big support from all of Italy. My coaches, my teammates, my parents, all my city was with me."
There will be no long break. "I need some rest, but very little, because I want to train again," she said. "I can't live without windsurfing."
Sanchez took the result in her stride, given how close the week had been. "We were battling, the Italian girl and me," she said. "Every day we had something to do better because we've been very close to each other, so I had fun."
China's Wu Ziyan took bronze by winning the last race of the regatta, finishing three points back after a strong start that saw her win the first three races of the week.
In the men's fleet there was no such drama. Greece's Evangelos Kyriazakos dominated, winning 10 of 14 races, including a run of eight straight victories, to take gold by 16 points.
"I believe my consistency and my hard work paid off," Kyriazakos said. "I haven't realised it yet. But when I will, it's going to be amazing." He thanked "my family, my friends, my brother" before turning his attention to the European Championships in Sardinia next spring.
Hong Kong's Ng Hoi Tik sailed a composed week for silver. "In this week I kept myself relaxed and didn't give too much pressure on myself," he said, before thanking his support crew: "Without you guys, I think I can't win this."
Tunisia's Rayen Briki took bronze, a medal for Africa at the first Olympic event held on the continent. He finished five points clear of Thailand's Ittipol Yomjinda in fourth.
"I am very, very happy," Briki said.
His medal capped a week in which sailors from across Africa, many supported through World Sailing's African training programme, raced alongside the world's best young windsurfers on home waters.
