Aimee Bright has won silver at the Olympic Classes Regatta in Long Beach, finishing runner-up to reigning world champion Emma Wilson in one of the strongest women’s iQFOiL fields of the season. The result marks Bright’s second major international silver medal in two months, following her breakthrough podium at the European Championships in May.
The 20-year-old Aucklander won three qualifying races and secured second overall to advance directly to the final, where she held her position despite gruelling light-wind conditions that tested sailors’ endurance.
Bright credited her rapid rise to training alongside fellow New Zealand windfoilers Veerle ten Have and Stella Bilger, saying the high-performance environment has helped elevate her racing.
The regatta, held at the venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic sailing competition, came just days after Bright left a family sailing trip from New Zealand to Fiji to compete. Despite her recent success, she says she remains focused on improving, particularly her fitness and consistency in final races.
New Zealand also enjoyed strong results across the fleet, with Ten Have ninth, Bilger 10th, Eli Liefting eighth in the men’s event, and several other Kiwi sailors posting competitive finishes.
