In Palma de Mallorca, a highly ambitious British delegation, featuring a number of Olympic medallists, turned up for the Trofeo Princess Sofia, and they certainly made their presence felt. Delivering their best-ever performance at the prestigious regatta, the team got their LA 2028 Olympic campaign off to a flying start.
The prestigious Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta signalled the start of the road to Los Angeles 2028, and Team GB wasted no time making a statement. The Royal Yachting Association emerged as the standout federation of the week, clinching an impressive nine medals, five of them gold, and outperforming traditional powerhouses such as Australia and China.
Among the standout performances was that of Emma Wilson, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, who dominated the iQFOiL windsurfing class, winning 14 out of 21 races to seal the overall title and lift the Princess Sofia trophy in emphatic fashion. Meanwhile, Micky Beckett, who competed in Paris this summer, pulled off a remarkable feat by winning the ILCA 7 event for a fourth consecutive year, wrapping up the title even before the final day, further underlining his supremacy in the fleet.
Gold medals also came from John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the Nacra 17, the Tokyo silver medallists proving their consistency once again; Freya Black and Saskia Tidey in the 49erFX; and Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris in the 470 class.
In Formula Kite, Lily Young and Ellie Aldridge added to the British medal tally with silver and bronze respectively, finishing behind China’s Wan Li. Elliot Hanson and Daisy Collingridge rounded off the podiums with a silver in ILCA 7 and a bronze in ILCA 6.
Mark Robinson, the RYA’s Performance Director, hailed the historic results as a strong signal of Britain’s intent for LA 2028, especially after a more modest showing at Paris 2024, which ended with one gold and one bronze. Next up for the British sailing squad: the French Olympic Week in Hyères, the next key stop on the Olympic circuit.