Lanzarote crowns its 2026 champions as Olympic cycle gathers pace

The 2026 Lanzarote International Regatta wrapped up on Thursday with a light-wind finale that demanded every ounce of tactical nous from sailors who'd already been put through the wringer by a week of wildly varied conditions.

Croatia's Filip Jurisic took the ILCA 7 title after dominating from the early stages, adapting seamlessly whether the breeze was howling or barely filling sails. The Netherlands' Maxime Jonker claimed ILCA 6 honours ahead of Belgium's Emma Plasschaert, while French duo Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin added another Marina Rubicón 49er trophy to their cabinet after winning the 49er Worlds on this very racecourse in 2024.

“We tried to be as consistent as possible throughout the week,” Fischer said. “Very different conditions – short and choppy seas, other days more waves, and also medium and light winds to finish. That makes this event very complete and demanding.”

Now in its sixth edition, the Lanzarote International Regatta has quietly established itself as one of the most important early-season proving grounds in Olympic sailing.

Diego Botín and Florian Trittel won in the 49er here in 2022, claimed Olympic gold in Paris, then took Spain to the championship title in SailGP. Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze took back-to-back 49erFX titles in 2021 and 2022 – the Brazilian pair already had two Olympic golds between them, and Grael is now SailGP's first female driver. When Lanzarote hosted the 49erFX Worlds in 2024, it was Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz who triumphed, and months later they stood atop the Olympic podium in Marseille.

In short, Lanzarote has a habit of crowning future champions. The pathway to LA2028 is well and truly underway, and this week’s winners have put their names on the list.