This October 7th, the 49er and 49er FX World Champs will take place in Sardinia, in which the Spanish preolympic team will compete. Of the members of the team, we must point out the participation of Balearics Conrad Konitzer and Paula Barceló, from Club Nàutic s'Arenal, Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and María del Mar Gil, from Club de Vela Puerto de Andratx.
DID YOU LIKE THIS CONTENT? WELL... YOU HAVE ALL OF OUR FULL PROGRAMS HERE!The spectacular Poetto beach in Cagliari (Sardinia) will host the 49er and 49erFX World Championship, the major international event for the double classes of Olympic sailing, from this Tuesday to Sunday the 12th. Spain will compete with its full team, in a fleet that brings together almost 100 male crews and nearly 60 female crews, with the best specialists in the world. This will mark the return to Olympic sailing of Olympic champions Diego Botín and Florian Trittel and the competitive debut of the new crew formed by Paula Barceló and María Cantero.
The pair formed by Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, Olympic champions in Paris 2024, return to the water in Sardinia after winning gold in Marseille and participating this weekend in the SailGP Cádiz event. It will be their first regatta as reigning Olympic champions, and they arrive motivated to compete against the elite again, in a championship that also includes New Zealanders McHardie and McKenzie, silver medalists in Paris. The American duo Barrows and Henken, Olympic bronze medalists, will not compete in Sardinia.
“We're returning to the water with great enthusiasm after what we experienced in Paris. We've taken a bit of a break from 49er racing these past few months, but we were clear that this World Championship was a key event. The gold medal is already part of our history, but now it's time to look ahead. We want to enjoy Sardinia, compete against the fleet again, learn, and continue to grow. Our motivation is intact, and we know it will be a very demanding championship ,” say Diego Botín and Florian Trittel.
Along with Botín and Trittel, Spain will have three more crews competing in the 49er World Championship. Competing will be Martín and Jaime Wizner (RCN de Vigo), reigning European champions, and Conrad Konitzer, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal and Antonio Torrado (RCN Torrevieja), regulars on the international circuit.
“Winning the European Championship was unexpected, but it has given us a boost of motivation to keep working ,” notes Martín Wizner. “ After a year, the one after the Olympics, in which the top players are more disconnected, this is our chance to show that we have trained and improved a lot, so we are going to give it our all or at least make them realize that we are here .”
His brother Jaime adds: “The European Championship is different from this World Championship. The conditions are different but we would like to finish in the Top 10. We are going to try to do our best .”
The generational change comes from the hands of the brothers Pol and Alex Marsans (CN Arenys de Mar), members of the 2032 team, who are facing their first major World Championship.
In the women's category (49er FX), Spain will also compete with four crews, all under the umbrella of the RFEV. The pre-Olympic team will include the crew formed by the Mallorcan Paula Barceló, from Club Nàutic Arenal, and the Canarian María Cantero (RCN Gran Canaria), as well as Alicia Fras and Elena Barrio (RCN Gran Canaria). This will be the grand debut for Barceló and Cantero in competition, with the Mallorcan in the role of skipper after being a crew member with Támara Echegoyen in the previous Olympic cycle, and after months of combining training with the completion of her medical studies.
“This World Championship is a very important event for us. We've been working hard these past few months, and we feel like the team is making steady progress. The World Championship will be a great opportunity to compete against our rivals for the first time and see if we're heading in the right direction. Our goal is to keep improving every day, to continue growing as a team, and of course... hopefully we can see good results! ” says Paula Barceló.
The 2032 team will be represented by two Galician-Balearic duos: Patricia Suárez (RCN Vigo) and Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Stella Enríquez (RCN Vigo) and María del Mar Gil, from Club de Vela Puerto de Andratx.
The Dutch Olympic champions Van Aanholt/Duetz will not be competing in the women's fleet—Van Aanholt has just become a mother—but Vilma Bobeck, a medalist at Paris 2024, will be competing, along with the always tireless Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, two-time Brazilian Olympic champions and a benchmark in the class.
Poetto Beach, a regular venue for major international sailing and kitesurfing events, will offer the fleet demanding and spectacular conditions. The prevailing winds from Scirocco (SE) and Libeccio (SW), with speeds that can vary from eight to 35 knots, guarantee fast, technical racing with spectacular action in every race.
The 49er and 49er FX World Championships will run from Tuesday, October 7th to Sunday, October 12th, with three races scheduled each day. The qualifying heats will be held from the 7th to the 9th, the final heats from the 10th to the 12th, and the medals will be decided in the Medal Race on Sunday the 12th.
The Royal Spanish Sailing Federation's pre-Olympic team is subsidized by the Higher Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and Universo Mujer, and sponsored by Iberdrola and Quirónprevención. The official suppliers are Azul Marino, Murimar Seguros, Nippon Express, Marinepool, and Enovis.
Follow the World Championship at: https://49er.org/events/2025-world-championship/
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