Kiwis win Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final

After a year of qualifying races held all over the world, Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie from New Zealand emerged as the victors of the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final. A global lineup of top young sailors from 16 countries and five continents faced off in the second-ever Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final on November 9-11 in Miami, FL.

McHardie and McKenzie have known each other since they were both just nine-years-old, and have been sailing on and off together since. They started sailing in the optimist class, but over the last two years they have been sailing full-time in the 49er class together.

“It’s an amazing feeling. Sailing these fast boats has been an exciting time and coming away with the win is a great feeling, I’m ecstatic,” said Mckenzie. “Everyone here had a lot of skill. Every race we had was very competitive and you can never rule at any sailor because everyone here was the best of their country.”

For them, Red Bull Foiling Generation was one step closer to reaching their ultimate goal, to win an Olympic Gold Medal.

“The dream is a Gold Medal at the Olympics. This event is really cool because it opens different pathways to different events like the Extreme Sailing Series,” remarked McKenzie.

Designed to find sailing’s next wave of talent, Red Bull Foiling Generation gives wings to talented young men and women aged 16-20 by introducing them to the type of cutting-edge foiling technology used in the America’s Cup.

They are coached throughout the process by two-time Olympic Gold Medalists, event co-founders and Sports Directors Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher, to sail the Flying Phantoms which can reach speeds up to 35 knots.

“It’s been gratifying to see the interest in Red Bull Foiling Generation around the world, as well as the progress sailors from the program are making in the sport,” Hagara stated. “Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson, who won the 2016 World Final, went on to win the Flying Phantom Series of the Extreme Sailing Series together in 2017, and since then both of them have raced on GC32s in the Extreme Sailing Series, in addition to pursuing Olympic campaigns.”

The coast of Miami provided a beautiful backdrop for the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final. Throughout the three-day competition, the ocean breeze held strong and produced fourteen heats of fast, highly competitive sailing.

Results – Top Three
1st Place – New Zealand – Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie
2nd Place – Belgium – Morgan Wirtz and Henri Demesmaeker
3rd Place – Sweden – Emil Järudd and Hugo Christensson

Event details – Results – Tracking – Facebook

Entry List:
Argentina: Dante Cittadini and Teresa Romairone
Australia: Emma Jones and Harry Morton
Austria: Nikolas Haberl and Keanu Prettner
Belgium: Henri Demesmaeker and Morgan Wirtz
France: Charles Dorange and Louis Flament
Germany: Adrien Paul Farien and Mirco Klösel
Greece: Dimitris Tassios and Telis Athanasopoulos Yogo
Italy: Leonardo Chistè and Matteo Pilati
The Netherlands: Thomas Snoek and Pieter Van Leijen
New Zealand: Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie
Portugal: Tomás Barreto and João Prieto
Spain: Julio José Alonso and Albert Torres
Sweden: Hugo Christensson and Emil Järudd
Switzerland: Louis Benjamin Buxtorf and Morgan Lauber
United Kingdom: Chloe Collenette and Benno Marstaller
United States: Ian MacDiarmid and Nicolas Muller