NZL Youth Sailing: Wigglesworth second after Day 3 of the 2025 Youth Worlds in Vilamoura

Cam Brown and Oli Stone (NZL) - Day 1 - Boys 420 - Day 1 - Youth Sailing Championships - December 15, 2025 - Vilamoura © Nuno Fortinho Mendes/World Sailing

After two frustrating days ashore, kiteboarder Toby Wigglesworth wasted no time announcing himself at the World Sailing Youth World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal.

The Aucklander finally got his Formula Kite campaign underway on Day 3 and delivered a performance statement, posting race scores of 5, 6 and 2 to surge into second overall, just 10 points behind Swiss leader Gian Andrea Stragiotti in the boys’ fleet.

With racing abandoned for the Formula Kite classes on the opening two days due to wildly contrasting conditions — from excessive breeze to a lack of wind - Wigglesworth’s patience was tested early. But when racing finally got underway in lighter, shifting winds, the wait proved worthwhile.

Stragiotti, the reigning U19 European champion, set the early benchmark by winning all three races on the opening day of competition for the fleet. Wigglesworth now sits clear in second, ahead of Israel’s Carmel Avisar and Spain’s Carlos Espi Plat, as the championship begins to take shape.

New Zealand’s other strong performance came from Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson, who remain third overall in the girls’ 420 after another composed and consistent day. The pair backed up back-to-back fourth places from earlier in the regatta with finishes of 4, 2 and a discarded 10, staying firmly in podium contention. They sit just four points off second in an ultra-tight fleet led by Great Britain’s Sabine Potter and Merle Nieuwland.

In the boys’ 420, Cam Brown and Oli Stone remain inside the top 10, adding two more single-digit finishes to maintain their position of eighth in a fleet where the margins remain razor thin at the top.

Just outside the top 10, Chloe Turner sits 13th overall in the girls’ ILCA 6, while Tom Pilkington climbed to 25th in the boys’ ILCA 6 following his best race of the regatta - a ninth - overnight.

In the skiff fleets, Will Leech and Will Mason are 17th in the boys’ 29er after a challenging third day, while Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins are one place back in 14th in the girls’ fleet, having earlier shown their speed with a fifth place in race two.

There were gains in the windsurfing classes, too. Ben Rist claimed a race win in the boys’ iQFOiL to jump up to 19th overall, while Daniella Wooldridge sits 18th in the girls’ fleet after four races.

Day 3 marked the first time all 11 fleets were able to race on the same day at the championships, with conditions again playing a major role. Winds were significantly lighter than earlier in the week, and a dramatic 180-degree wind shift midway through the day forced sailors to adapt quickly, particularly those racing in the afternoon sessions.

Latest results and standings worldsailingywc.org/results