Three podiums, deep fleets, light winds, and pressure late in the year. New Zealand’s youth sailors delivered when it counted.
Staged in mid December and brushing up against the Christmas rush, the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships were never going to be an easy regatta to follow from New Zealand. Once the fleet dispersed and the quiet returned the picture sharpened quickly. New Zealand left Vilamoura with its strongest Youth Worlds medal return since 2018, securing a silver and two bronze medals and marking its first podium finishes at the event since 2022.
Those medals were only part of the picture. Vilamoura became a test of patience more than power, with long light-air delays broken by brief, high-pressure racing windows. In those moments, restraint and accuracy mattered more than flair. Across the fleets, New Zealand’s sailors showed an ability to stay calm, adapt quickly, and keep producing usable results when margins tightened and mistakes carried immediate cost.
The three podium finishes reflected that approach. Sixteen year old Toby Wigglesworth delivered one of the regatta’s most complete performances to claim silver in the Male Kiteboarding fleet. After a late charge, Cameron Brown and Oliver Stone surged into bronze in the Male Mixed Two Person Dinghy. Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson added a second bronze in the Female Two Person Dinghy through steady, disciplined racing across the series.
Wigglesworth’s silver was built patiently. Across the first eight races, he stayed inside the top six, avoiding the penalties and high scores that reshaped the standings around him. Starting the final day second overall, he sealed the medal with a controlled fifth in the only race completed. Speaking through Yachting New Zealand, Wigglesworth described the result as a milestone moment.
“It feels amazing to be a youth worlds medallist; it was one of my dreams and one of my biggest goals,” he said. “I spent many hours on the water training with the New Zealand kitefoiling group, and a lot of time in the gym preparing gear. This regatta was one of the best of my career, and hopefully I can keep building on this.”
In the Female Two Person Dinghy, Clinton and Higson’s bronze came after a regatta shaped as much by patience ashore as performance on the water. With no racing possible on the final day, their position was locked in after a week of consistent results. Clinton acknowledged to Yachting New Zealand that light winds had been a question mark coming into the event.
“We knew we’d probably do okay in the breeze, but we were unsure about how we would perform in the light winds,” she said. “European sailors are known for their light wind sailing, so when we had light days, we were nervous. But it turned out we sailed some really good races.”
Their preparation told the story behind the result.
“We sailed four or five times a week in New Zealand, rain, shine, no matter the conditions. It was tough juggling sailing with exams, and Amelia had to drive over an hour every day. But we stayed focused.”
Brown and Stone’s bronze in the Male Mixed Two Person Dinghy came via one of the strongest final day performances by any New Zealand crew. Starting seventh overall, they needed a near perfect finish. Three second places delivered exactly that. Brown, speaking to Yachting New Zealand, said the approach was simple.
“The last day of the regatta, we knew it was all on for a medal. We just needed three good races. Our goal was to follow our roles and routines, and we managed to do that really well.”
Away from the podium, the broader team delivered performances that added weight to the campaign. Tom Pilkington finished 15th in the Boys’ ILCA 6, while Chloe Turner placed 18th in the Girls’ fleet. In the skiffs, Bella Jenkins and Jessica Handley finished 13th in the Female Skiff, with Will Leech and William Mason 14th in the Male Skiff. On the boards, Daniella Wooldridge placed 14th in the Girls’ iQFOiL, while Benjamin Rist finished 19th in the Boys’ competition.
Yachting New Zealand Youth Programme Manager Sam Mackay pointed to the environment as a key challenge.
“It’s been a cool week, but definitely testing,” he said. “The scheduling at Youth Worlds is tough. You have to be ready to race at any moment, and once we push off the dock, we need to treat every race the same.”
He also noted that most of the squad remains age eligible to return, an important detail in understanding what Vilamoura represents.
Taken together, the regatta reinforced the strength of New Zealand’s youth pathway. Podium results came from different classes, while many others gained hard earned experience in large, unforgiving fleets. Medals, no matter the championships, are always nice. More importantly, it is about learning to manage pressure, adapt to unfamiliar venues, and perform when conditions refuse to cooperate. In Portugal, New Zealand did exactly that, and left with results that point clearly toward what comes next.
The 2026 Youth Worlds will be held mid-December in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
Youth Worlds podiums
Male Windsurfer
Gold: Peleg Rajuan (Israel)
Silver: Mattia Saoncella (Italy)
Bronze: Rory Meehan (Australia)
19th: Benjamin Rist (New Zealand)
Female Windsurfer
Gold: Medea Marisa Falcioni (Italy)
Silver: Taisia Stopchenko (AIN)
Bronze: Nurhayat Guven (Turkey)
14th: Daniella Wooldridge (New Zealand)
Male Kiteboarder
Gold: Gian Andrea Stragiotti (Switzerland)
Silver: Toby Wigglesworth (New Zealand)
Bronze: Nell de Jaham (France)
Female Kiteboarding
Gold: Suofeiya Li (China)
Silver: Emma Rennie (Great Britain)
Bronze: Karolina Jankowska (Poland)
Male One-Person Dinghy
Gold: Suofeiya Li (China)
Silver: Emma Rennie (Great Britain)
Bronze: Karolina Jankowska (Poland)
Female One-Person Dinghy
Gold: Irene de Tomás (Spain)
Silver: Hanna Rogowska (Poland)
Bronze: Mirja Dohle (Germany)
18th: Chloe Turner (New Zealand)
Male Mixed Two-Person Dinghy
Gold: Madonich / Karabadzhak (Ukraine)
Silver: Shtub / Sheffler (Israel)
Bronze: Brown / Stone (New Zealand)
Female Two-Person Dinghy
Gold: Potter / Nieuwland (Great Britain)
Silver: Combet / Peyre (France)
Bronze: Clinton / Higson (New Zealand)
Male Mixed Skiff
Gold: Kolka / Zmudzinski (Poland)
Silver: Huet des Aunay / Gresset (France)
Bronze: Brandão da Cunha Faria / Joppert (Brazil)
14th: Will Leech / William Mason (New Zealand)
Female Skiff
Gold: Edwards / Hiscocks (Great Britain)
Silver: Puchowska / Dampc (Poland)
Bronze: Barceló / Argüelles (Argentina)
13th Bella Jenkins / Jessica Handley (New Zealand)
Mixed Two-Person Multihull
Gold: Sirena / Dessy (Italy)
Silver: Praud / Mansouri (France)
Bronze: Tomko / Small (USA)
