Canadian Athletes of the Year

The Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Athletes of the Year Awards annually recognize Canadians for outstanding achievement in competition and support. The latest recipients are the 49erFX team of Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance and ILCA 7 sailor James Juhasz.

After taking part in their first Olympic Games in 2024, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Nova Scotia won four medals in six competitions in 2025, notably a gold medal at the 2025 49erFX European Championships held in Greece.

They also won three bronze medals at French Olympic Week, Kiel Week, and the 49erFX World Championship. They also took the fourth position at Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta.

The bronze medal at the 49erFX World Championships was a landmark achievement, as they became the first-ever sailors from Canada to medal at that competition. Furthermore, few teams in Canadian history have had a gold-bronze combo at the European and World Championships in the same year.

Their results from 2025 also allowed them to start the following season on top of the World Sailing rankings in the 49erFX class.

“We’re honored to be named winners of the Sail Canada Women Athletes of the Year Award,” said the sisters. “This would be impossible without the incredible people who support us every step of the way. We’re so grateful to have a strong team behind us. Thank you!”

On the men’s side, James Juhasz from Oakville, ON, was recognized for his breakthrough performance at the ILCA 7 World Championship with a 37th-place finish, which proved to be the top Canadian result at that event since 2016. His performance allowed Canada to take the 22nd position in country rankings, as compared to 27th place in 2024.

He also coached the ILCA 7 boys at the 2025 U21 World Championships, leading three Canadians to finish in the Gold Fleet (29th, 31st, and 42nd as well as 8th in U19).

Off the water, James was elected to sit on Sail Canada’s Board as an athlete representative and he spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Sailing Team Athlete Council, where he has worked to gather athlete feedback, foster high performance training environments, and put the systems in place to help bring Canada to the forefront of Olympic sailing.

“It was a long season with plenty of ups and downs, but I am especially proud of the work we have done with the team at Sail Canada to help develop a high-performance environment for all the National Team athletes,” said Juhasz.

“From the building of the Sail Canada gym in Kingston, to the hosting of regular athlete meetings and to working with the board on Horizon 32, there has been a lot of work put in over the past year to foster a culture within the Canadian Sailing Team that is going to lead us to Olympic success.”

Additional information: https://www.sailing.ca/the-skippers-plan-athletes-teams-of-the-year-past-winners/

Source: Sail Canada