The fourth day of the 29er World Championship, taking place in Porto, was marked by light wind conditions that allowed only one race per fleet – Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald – intensifying the fight for the top positions.
The morning started with around 10 knots from the southwest. On race course B (Gaia), where the wind was scarcer on previous days, the Bronze and Emerald fleets managed to start the final phase with pace, completing a race on the first attempt. On course A (Porto / Matosinhos), the Gold fleet faced more difficulty, with two general recalls before completing the first race of the day.
The conditions became more demanding as the morning went on. The wind gradually diminished and the Atlantic swell – combined with the strong current on course B – challenged the sailors even more. Attempts for a second race were made on both courses, but only got halfway through, with all races canceled due to the low wind. At 15:30, the day was officially over.
One race, new leaders in the overall standings
Despite only one completed race, there were significant changes in the overall standings. The Hungarians Soma Kis-Szölgyémi and András Juhász, leaders until then, dropped to 5th place after a result of 29th. As a result, Frenchmen Jocelyn Le Goff and Jules Vidor took the lead, followed by Norwegians Nicklas Holt and Philip Forslund. The Italian team of Giuseppe Montesano and Enrico Coslovich now round off the top three in the Gold fleet.
Fourth place is currently occupied by the first mixed team – Argentinians Olivia Riesgo and Martin Díaz Tamayo – who have climbed 10 places in the overall standings after just one race.
Also noteworthy was the first women’s team of young Italians Bianca Marchesini and Lucia Finato, who came 8th in the standings and first in the U17 category (under 17s).
A Free Afternoon to Explore
As the day’s program didn’t include any social moments and the races finished earlier than planned, the sailors had the afternoon free to explore the city of Porto. As a suggestion, the organization recommended a visit to the Chocolate Museum, located at WOW – one of the official partners of the 29er Porto World Championship 2025. As part of the experience, all the sailors and coaches received a ticket to visit the museum in their gift bags during registration confirmation, turning this unexpected break into a sweet opportunity to get to know one of the region’s most original cultural spaces.
