NZL Youth Sailing: Two in Medal contention - Day 4 - 2025 Youth Worlds in Vilamoura
by Yachting New Zealand 19 Dec 2025 16:39 NZDT
Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins (NZL) - Day 4 - Girls 29er - Youth Sailing Championships - December 18 2025 - Vilamoura © Nuno Fortinho Mendes
Several members of the NZL Sailing Foundation team remain in the medal hunt heading into the final day of the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal.
With podium places within reach across multiple classes, Kiwi sailors are preparing for a tense conclusion early tomorrow morning (NZ time), with five races scheduled in each category.
Leading the New Zealand charge is Toby Wigglesworth, who sits second overall in the boys’ kitefoil. After two days without racing in the discipline, Wigglesworth returned on Day 4 with a pair of fourth-place finishes and remains firmly in contention for a podium spot.
In the girls’ 420, Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson have continued their consistent form, recording another strong set of results overnight. With seven top-10 finishes from eight qualifying races, the pair is third overall, just 10 points behind leaders Sabine Potter and Merle Nieuwland of the Netherlands. In the boys’ 420, Cam Brown and Oli Stone have also made steady gains, climbing to seventh overall. While 13 points shy of the podium, a strong final day could see them push into medal contention.
Elsewhere, Tom Pilkington continued his climb up the boys’ ILCA 6 leaderboard and now sits 13th overall after posting finishes of fifth and 11th on the penultimate day of racing. In the girls’ ILCA 6, Chloe Turner is 18th overall and will be aiming to improve her position in the final races.
In the 29er class, Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins have moved up to 12th overall in the girls’ fleet after securing their second top-10 finish of the regatta, while Will Leech and William Mason are 17th in the boys’ fleet.
There was no racing in the iQFOiL fleets on Day 4 due to light winds, leaving Ben Rist in 19th place overall in the boys’ event and Daniella Wooldridge 15th in the girls’ competition.
New Zealand currently sits seventh on the Nations Trophy standings among 66 competing countries, with Italy, France and Poland occupying the top three places.
Latest results and standings worldsailingywc.org/results
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