The Gold Fleets shake things up

08/07/2026

Things really got underway on Tuesday in Spain at the 2026 iQFOiL Youth & Junior World Championships. In Sant Pere Pescador, on the Costa Brava, the third day of competition marks the transition to the Gold Fleets, where the best in each category now compete head-to-head. This is a pivotal stage in a championship bringing together nearly 400 young riders from 36 nations.

In conditions once again dominated by an east/south-easterly thermal breeze – at times erratic and demanding – the gaps are beginning to widen. In the U19 women’s category, the battle for the top of the standings is more open than ever. Neutral athlete Taisiia Stopchenko is now level on points with France’s Salomé Simon, but retains the advantage on head-to-head results. Having led for much of the race, Greece’s Danai Giannouli has slipped to third place. The standout performance of the day, however, must go to Théa Le Borgne Zibetti. The reigning U17 world champion, now competing in the U19 category, staged a spectacular comeback, climbing twenty places in a single day. Now in fourth place, she is firmly back in the running for a podium finish ahead of the final races. In the U17 girls’ category, Turkey’s Parla Kabasakal continues her flawless run with six wins from as many races. Behind her, Poland’s Michelle Urzykowski and Maria Miarczynska provisionally round off the top three.

In the men’s categories, Mattia Saoncella continues to impress. The Italian remains the only competitor in the entire championship to have a perfect score after several days of competition and has consolidated his lead in the U19s ahead of Artun Senol of Turkey and Leon Jankowski of Poland. In the U17 Boys’ category, Italy’s Luca Pacchiotti has taken the lead ahead of the Czech Frantisek Burda and Germany’s Moritz Schleicher, in a particularly closely-contested fleet.
At the halfway stage, the Gold Fleets are beginning to reveal the favourites for the Medal Series. Every race is now of crucial importance, while the organisers are also continuing to roll out video umpiring, an innovation designed to ensure fairer decisions on the water. The battle for the world titles is now in full swing.