RUNGSTED, DENMARK (May 11, 2026) – Denmark’s Lea Vogelius and her WOW Racing crew of Louise Ulrikkeholm, Sille Christensen, Josefine Rasmussen, Joan Hansen and Maria Juul delivered a standout performance on home waters to win the 2026 KDY Women’s Match Race, the opening stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club in Rungsted Harbour. Vogelius and team defeated Sweden’s Anna Östling and the WINGS Sailing team 3-1 in the final.
Competing against a world-class line-up of women match racers, Vogelius and her team of Louise Ulrikkeholm, Sille Christensen, Josefine Rasmussen, Joan Hansen and Maria Juul had a strong performance for the whole event, finishing the double round robin qualifying stage with a strong 10–4 record. The team went on to defeat fellow Danish skipper Kristine Mauritzen in a decisive 3–1 series to secure a place in the final.
The final saw a classic Scandinavian showdown against Sweden’s Anna Östling and her WINGS Sailing team, a formidable opponent and previous event champion. Vogelius and WOW Racing capitalized on their local knowledge of the Rungsted racecourse and their experience in the DS37 keelboats to edge out their rivals and claim the title.
“It’s been a tricky event for us, but we love sailing the DS37’s” added Vogelius. “In the final against Anna and her team, we knew anything could happen but luckily we were super-fast today, and we are thrilled to get the win.”
Behind Vogelius, Östling finished second, while France’s Pauline Courtois secured third place after winning the petit final. The event featured eight elite women’s match racing teams and served as the opening stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour.
Vogelius and WOW Racing take an early lead in the tour standings as the tour now moves to its next stage in Annapolis USA at the Santa Maria Cup hosted by the Eastport Yacht Club, 3-6 June.
First contested in 1991, the Santa Maria Cup has grown into one of the most prestigious women’s match racing regattas in the world, attracting Olympic sailors, world champions and many of the sport’s prominent names including JJ Isler, Dawn Riley, Julia Trotman, Jody Swanson, Betsy Alison, Cory Sertl, Sally Barkow, and Anna Tunnicliffe. The 2026 edition will mark the 25th year of the event’s founding with defending champion Allie Blecher returning after her 2025 victory, while Sweden’s Anna Östling — who won the Santa Maria Cup in 2023 and finished on the podium last year — is expected to be among the leading contenders at this year’s event https://www.santamariacup.org/
Boating New Zealand Insert
Vogelius and Wow Racing claim home victory at KDY Women’s Match Race
KDY Women’s Match Race • Royal Danish Yacht Club, Copenhagen • May 7–10, 2026
Anna Östling took the opening race of the final but could not hold the momentum. Lea Vogelius won three straight to claim the KDY Women’s Match Race title 3–1, giving Denmark a home victory in front of the Royal Danish Yacht Club crowd. The result was the same shape as both semi-finals — an opening-race loss, then a controlled comeback — but this time it was Vogelius executing it, not conceding to it.
The Scandinavian final had guaranteed Denmark and Sweden the top two steps of the podium before a race was sailed. It delivered on that framing. Östling’s silver completes a strong week for the Swede, who came through qualifying with an improving record before eliminating defending champion Pauline Courtois in the semis. Courtois takes third overall. Fellow Dane Kristine Mauritzen finishes fourth, with Julia Aartsen fifth for the Netherlands rounding out the top five.
Final
Race-by-race results. 1 = win, 0 = loss. First to three wins takes the title.
| Final | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea Vogelius DEN Winner | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Anna Östling SWE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Final standings
| # | Nat | Skipper | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEN | Lea Vogelius | Louise Ulrikkeholm, Sille Christensen, Josefine Rasmussen, Joan Hansen, Anne Sofie Munk Hansen |
| 2 | SWE | Anna Östling | Anna Holmdahl White, Linnea Wennergren, Jenny Axhede, Svea Sahlin, Annika Carlunger |
| 3 | FRA | Pauline Courtois | Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Thea Khelif, Laurane Mettraux, Sophie Faguet |
| 4 | DEN | Kristine Mauritzen | Helena Formgren, Julia Toroi, Sofie Vendelboe, Maria Reinhold, Julie Erhardsen |
| 5 | NED | Julia Aartsen | Nerine Usman, Iris Van Gerrevink, Eva Asbeek Brusse, Ismene Usman |
| 6 | DEN | Louise K Olesen | Camilla From, Mille Jensen, Line Mørkebjerg, Sara Keir Wright, Sophia Jørgensen |
| 7 | SWE | Martina Carlsson | Klara Utterström, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Esther Lagerstand, Hedvig Hedström |
| 8 | FRA | Julia D’Amodio | Alice Chiappori, Lilou Ruat, Clarisse Baissac, Roxane Perrot, Maïa Gargani |
Final results • Source: MatchRacingResults.com
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level.
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing.
