Emma Wilson Leads British Revival In Palma

“It’s been an amazing week, it’s super cool and I haven’t won much in my career so I’m really happy to do a good final today,” said Wilson, a double Olympic bronze medallist in iQFOiL windsurfing. “It’s a great moment for me to share with everyone who has supported me, and to say thank you to my coaches and my friends and fam.”

Wilson’s win capped what was arguably one of the strongest performances ever by the British Sailing Team at the prestigious Palma regatta, which marked the first major all-classes event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle. British sailors took home nine medals—five of them gold—across the ten Olympic disciplines.

Among those joining Wilson atop the podium were Micky Beckett, who claimed a record fourth consecutive ILCA 7 title, Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris (above) in the 470 Mixed, Freya Black and Saskia Tidey in the FX skiff, and John Gimson and Anna Burnet, who secured their first Nacra 17 win since the Tokyo Games.

Beckett’s Bay of Palma Reign

Beckett, who secured the ILCA 7 title with a day to spare, extended his dominance in Palma, where he has now won three of his four titles before the medal race.

“I was a bit rusty after a long break after the Olympics, so I honestly wouldn’t have backed myself to win this event, but I’m really happy that it’s worked out,” he said. “I was in a bit of a hole after the Games and I told myself, ‘I’m really going to have to win Palma.’ So now I’ve done it, it’s a really nice way to start the cycle.”

Returning Champions and Fresh Starts

In the iQFOiL Men’s division, Australia’s Grae Morris held off a strong fleet to take gold. “It’s an amazing feeling and hopefully I get to feel this a bit more in the future,” said Morris, the Paris 2024 silver medallist. “It’s great to be out there on the start line with a great bunch of guys and just happy I came out on top here.”

Singapore’s Max Maeder (below), just 18, continued his reign in the Formula Kite Men’s fleet, winning his third successive Trofeo Princesa Sofía title. “Another great event in Palma, lots of racing, lots of excitement, not much waiting around,” he said. “We had such great battles with my competitors this week, so much passion and fire on the race course. I’m exhilarated, very happy to get another win.”

In the Formula Kite Women, China’s Wan Li took gold after holding off late charges from Britain’s Lily Young and Olympic Champion Ellie Aldridge, who earned silver and bronze respectively.

Momentum Builders

Australia’s Zoe Thomson, runner-up in Palma two years running, finally stood atop the podium in the ILCA 6 class. “Winning here, it’s a really good start to the Olympic cycle,” she said.

In the 49er skiff, France’s world champions Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin rebounded from a difficult Olympic year to take gold. “We had quite a lot of ups and downs on the last campaign… so we are trying to do things a bit different this time,” said Péquin. “We tried to take less risks, especially tactically, and we have tried to improve our starts, which we have done.”

Germany’s Richard Schultheis, just 19, took silver in the 49er with Fabian Rieger in their first event as a team. In the women’s FX skiff, Black and Tidey converted their lead into gold, while Italy’s Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei were runners-up in the Nacra 17 behind Gimson and Burnet.

“We had no results expectations coming here,” said Burnet. “We had a lot of time off after the Games. We knew we were going to be a bit rusty… It has been a long regatta so good for that kind of thing.”

As the Olympic sailing circuit shifts toward Hyères, France for the Semaine Olympique Française later this month, the Bay of Palma leaves behind a clear message: the pursuit of a Los Angeles 2028 has already begun—at full throttle.