France’s Pauline Courtois has been crowned 2025 Women’s Match Racing World Champion in Chicago, overcoming New Zealand’s Megan Thomson in a tense final series.
Courtois and her Match in Pink crew (Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet, Laurane Mettraux) edged the Kiwis two races to one, sealing their dominance after topping the round robin with a near-perfect 10–1 record. Thomson and her 2.0 Racing team (Tiana Wittey, Josi Andres, Charlotte Porter, Hattie Rogers) fought hard, levelling the match in Race 2 before Courtois closed it out in the decider.
In the petit final, Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius beat Australia’s Juliet Costanzo to secure third overall, leaving Costanzo fourth. Sweden’s Anna Östling placed fifth after falling in the quarters, while France’s Julia D’Amodio, the USA’s Nicole Breault and the Netherlands’ Julia Aartsen rounded out the top eight.
Earlier, Courtois, Thomson, Costanzo and Vogelius had all advanced through the quarter-finals with decisive 2–1 wins, setting up a high-calibre final four. Courtois beat Costanzo in her semi-final, while Thomson fought back from a first-race loss to eliminate Vogelius.
Final standings
- Pauline Courtois (FRA)
- Megan Thomson (NZL)
- Lea Richter Vogelius (DEN)
- Juliet Costanzo (AUS)
- Anna Östling (SWE)
- Julia D’Amodio (FRA)
- Nicole Breault (USA)
- Julia Aartsen (NED)
- Celia Willison (NZL)
- Kristine Mauritzen (DEN)
- Martina Carlsson (SWE)
- Kenza Coutard (FRA)
The Chicago championship concluded after a week of light, shifting winds on Lake Michigan that tested tactics as much as boat speed. Courtois’s victory extends her remarkable run, reaffirming her team’s status as the one to beat in women’s match racing.
