Canada and USA on podium in Spain

With all top teams back on the water following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the first significant test was the 2026 Trofeo Princesa Sofia on March 30-April 4 in Mallorca, Spain. With over 1,100 sailors from 62 countries in attendance, all 10 Olympic events were spread across seven different race courses on the Bay of Palma.

A big change toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics is a move towards new race formats that put a great emphasis on performing well on the final day of competition. Eighteen nations landed on the podium, led by Britain (5 medals), France (3), and Italy (3), with no nation winning more than one event.

Canadian sailors Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance won the gold medal in 49erFX after starting the day in second place and just one point behind the leaders, reigning world champions Paula Barcelo and Maria Cantero (ESP). “We’ve been coming here for the last five years or so and we’ve always looked up to our competitors who have won this event,” said the sisters. “It’s really a cool feeling and an honor to be amongst them this time.”

For the USA contingent, Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid claimed silver in the 49er class with Noah Lyons also claiming silver in the iQFoil class. Just off the podium, Noah Runciman finished fourth in the Men’s Formula Kite, while Charlotte Rose earned a fourth-place result in the ILCA 6.

“The American team showed up in force, with just under 50 athletes competing across the fleets,” said Molly Vandemoer, Director of Olympic Sailing. “Heading into the final day with medal contention in five fleets is an impressive achievement—and a strong of sign of what’s to come.”

Details: https://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race

The 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels was part of the Sailing Grand Slam 2026 alongside the Semaine Olympique Française, Dutch Water Week, Kieler Woche, and Long Beach/San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta.

2026 Sailing Grand Slam
March 27-April 4: Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca – Mallorca, Spain
April 18-25: Semaine Olympique Française – Hyères, France
May 30-June 7: Dutch Water Week – Almere, Netherlands
June 20-28: Kieler Woche – Kiel, Germany
Jule 13-August 8: Pre-Olympic Event – Los Angeles and Long Beach, USA*

* Location and dates:
July 13-16, ​iQFOiL, Formula Kite – ​Long Beach
July 20-25, ​ILCA 6, ILCA 7, 470​​ – Los Angeles
August 3-8, ​49er, 4erFX, Nacra 17 – Los Angeles

Details: https://sailinggrandslam.com/

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program (July 16-28):
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA

For more details, click here.