New Zealand windfoiler Aimee Bright has capped a breakthrough international season in spectacular fashion, coming from behind to win the iQFOiL Under-23 World Championship in a dramatic Grand Final in Puck, Poland.
The 20-year-old Manly Sailing Club rider overturned a deficit against Norway’s Maya Gysler at the final mark before holding on through the closing reaches to claim her first world title.
The daughter of Kiwi windsurfing great Barbara Kendall, Bright had led the championship from start to finish, winning 11 of the 20 qualifying course and slalom races to earn a direct berth in the winner-take-all Grand Final.
But the finale proved anything but straightforward.
Bright made a slow start, and Gysler quickly established the early advantage, leaving the Kiwi facing the prospect of finishing second despite having dominated the regatta to that point.
“It was a very exciting final race,” Bright said. “I came in a bit early to the start, so I didn’t have much speed coming off the line. Maya got in front of me and was a bit closer to the pin, so she rounded first. It was quite light, and we were pumping a lot downwind. I tried to hook in and save my energy as much as I could.”
Bright gradually closed the gap but, with Gysler still ahead, feared her chance had gone.
“It looked like she was quite far in the lead, so I was thinking I was just going to come second, which was a little bit disappointing.”
Then, approaching the final mark, Bright spotted an opportunity.
“I saw we could be on layline, so I decided to gybe as tight to the layline as possible to give myself any chance of overtaking her. It looked like she’d been pumping the whole leg, so I knew she might not have had much energy left,” Bright said.
“I pumped as hard as I could and managed to get a lot of depth on her and lay the mark first. She just didn’t make it, so she had to gybe out.”
Bright rounded in front and then held her advantage over the final two reaches to seal the title.
The effort left Bright exhausted. She collapsed onto her board after crossing the finish line before being joined in the water by close friend and training partner Stella Bilger, who was among the first to celebrate with her.
Aimee Bright led the regatta from start to finish. Photos / iQFOiL Class
“It’s pretty surreal to call myself under-23 world champion,” Bright said. “I’m super happy to get the first and do better than last year, when I came second behind Stella.
“I was definitely determined to come out on top. You always try and do your best, and I’m super stoked that I could bring it all together.”
After leading from the opening race, Bright admitted maintaining that position throughout the championship had brought its own pressures.
“It’s quite a different feeling when you’re leading an event from start to finish. I’ve never really had that feeling before,” she said.
“It can be quite scary and stressful at times, but I just brought it back to taking it day by day and really trying not to think about the results. It’s good to learn how to lead an event and keep it all together for the whole event.”
The victory goes one better than Bright’s silver medal at last year’s Under-23 World Championship, where Bilger took gold, and the pair produced a Kiwi one-two.
Bilger is now competing under the Australian flag, but remains one of Bright’s closest teammates.
“I don’t think it feels much different competing against Stella now with the Australian flag,” Bright said. “It’s such a cool opportunity for her, and I’m happy for her.
“I hope we can still keep working together and pushing each other because it’s so cool how far we’ve come together.”
Aimee Bright followed up her silver medal at last year’s event with gold in Poland. Photos / iQFOiL Class
While the Under-23 world title is the latest addition to an impressive medal haul, Bright still rates her silver medal at this year’s senior iQFOiL European Championship in Portugal in May as the standout achievement of her career.
The European silver was Bright’s first senior international medal and came during a season in which she also finished second overall at the Olympic Classes Regatta at the venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic sailing competition.
Her season has not been without adversity, however.
Bright was struck down by illness shortly before the senior iQFOiL World Championships in Weymouth, England, last month, disrupting her preparation for what she regarded as the biggest event of her year.
She battled through to finish 19th, while Bilger claimed the bronze medal in her first podium appearance for Australia.
“It was really heartbreaking getting so sick just before the Worlds, which was definitely my peak event of the year,” Bright said. “I was determined to try and do my best here and sort of redeem myself.”
The extended international campaign has also meant spending almost two and a half months away from home.
“It’s definitely been hard,” she said. “I’ve had my moments of homesickness and missing my family, especially when I was sick before the World Championships. It’s always nice when you have your mum helping you out.
“But I definitely have a good support team around me. My coach (Paul Snow-Hansen) has been super supportive, and it’s been super nice living with Stella and having cries and laughs and giggles together all the time.”
Bright and coach Paul Snow-Hansen. Photos / iQFOiL Class
Now, after securing the world title, Bright’s immediate celebration will be considerably less glamorous.
“I will celebrate by packing up,” she laughed. “I’m packing up everything to fly home tomorrow.”
Bright will spend the next two months training in New Zealand before potentially heading to Sail Melbourne in December.
Then comes another major test, with the 2027 World Sailing Combined World Championship in Brazil scheduled for early January.
“It’s a super quick turnaround,” Bright said. “That’s the next pinnacle event. Hopefully I can be fit and healthy and do my best.”
Final results and standings from the 2026 iQFOiL Under-23 World Championship here.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
