Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson, world ranked No. 3 and recent Bermuda Gold Cup winner, and France’s Ian Garreta, world ranked No. 4 (based on December 2025 World Sailing rankings) both exited the event at the conclusion of the qualifying group stages, marking one of the most dramatic shake-ups of the season.
After a breezy opening day in 12–18 knots at Shenzhen’s Happy Harbour, conditions eased to a challenging 8–10 knots on Tuesday, placing a premium on precision and flawless decision-making. The lighter air proved unforgiving, with small errors and minor wind shifts quickly punished — even among the pre-event favourites.
By the end of racing, both qualifying groups of eight teams were complete. The top three teams from each group advanced directly to the quarterfinals, while teams placed fourth through seventh moved on to a repechage round.
Only the bottom team from each group was eliminated, a fate that stunned the fleet as it befell a bitterly disappointed Berntsson and Garreta and their teams.
Defending champion Ian Williams of Great Britain, sailing with Pindar by Manuport Logistics, topped his group with five wins and two losses, as did France’s Timothée Rossi and his Sudistes Sailing Team, who led the second group with the same record.
Also securing direct quarterfinal berths were Oscar Engström of Sweden, Cole Tapper of Australia, current tour points leader Chris Poole of the United States, and France’s Aurélien Pierroz, the third-place finisher at the 2024 WMRT Final in Shenzhen.
Rossi was among the standout performers of the day, continuing his resurgence after finishing 11th at last year’s final. The French skipper capitalised on the light-air conditions to record key victories over seasoned competitors, including Switzerland’s Eric Monnin and Berntsson.
Eight teams will now contest the repechage round, with only two advancing to the quarterfinals and the remaining six eliminated, setting up another high-stakes phase of the competition.
With two of the world’s top four already out, the 2025 WMRT Final is shaping up as an unpredictable battle, as a new generation of skippers looks to challenge Williams and Poole for a place on the WMRT Championship podium.
