Balearic sailing faces the 420 World Championship in France

Today, Monday 6th of July, racing begins at the World Championship, which runs until the 11th of July in Biscarrosse.

Six days of competition await, starting tomorrow, for the best 420 crews in Biscarrosse, host of the class World Championship, which will be held until next Saturday, 11th of July. The event will crown the new world champions in the men’s, mixed, women’s, and under-17 boys’ and girls’ categories, and will feature strong Spanish representation.

After several days dedicated to training sessions, measurement procedures, and the official practice race held yesterday, competition begins today, Monday 6 July. Racing will open with a qualifying series of six races, after which crews will be split into gold, silver, and other fleets for the final series. A total of up to 12 races are scheduled, with a maximum of three per day.

The Real Federación Española de Vela is attending with its national under-17 and under-19 teams, selected based on results from the Spanish Cup and Spanish Championship, along with a broad representation from the class team.

In the under-17 category, the national team will be represented by Ignacio Jerónimo Sánchez and Alejandro Valero (RCR Alicante), Elena López and Giulia Sandri (CN El Balís), and Edu Navarro and Tomás Sánchez (RCR Alicante).

In under-19, competing are Asier Jáudenes, Juan Benítez, and reigning Spanish champions Neus Fernández and Martina Gomila, all from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, as well as Spanish men’s champions Miguel Padrón and Luis Mesa (RCN Gran Canaria).

The Spanish delegation is completed by 18 crews from the class team and is led by national coaches Magda Resano (U17) and Jacobo García (U19).

The Spanish team has strong medal prospects in several categories. CNA sailors Neus Fernández and Martina Gomila defend their world title and also won the U17 women’s world crown in 2024, while Amalia Coll and Laia Mattos, also from CNA and now competing in U19, claimed U17 world gold last year at the World Championship held in Turkey.

The Spanish team arrived in Biscarrosse last Monday and has completed three days of training before the start of the championship.

For coach Magda Resano, the main challenge will be adapting to a race course very different from those usually sailed by Spanish sailors: “We have trained very well these days and the team arrives well prepared. We are facing a very particular race area; it is not a classic sea venue but a lake, where wind shifts will be very important and will make the competition highly technical. It will be a demanding World Championship, but we see a strong team full of motivation,” she explained.

The Biscarrosse World Championship is one of the key events on the international calendar for emerging Olympic sailing talents and will bring together crews expected to shape the next generation of Olympic classes.

The activities of the Real Federación Española de Vela and its national teams, including the pre-Olympic squad and the 2032 team, are supported by a strong ecosystem of institutions and companies committed to sailing, the sport that has brought Spain the most Olympic gold medals.

The federation is sponsored by Iberdrola, Quirónprevención, and Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. Its institutional partners include the Consejo Superior de Deportes, the Comité Olímpico Español, and Universo Mujer, along with the Autoridad Portuaria de Santander and the Government of Cantabria (through the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Sport Cantabria, and the Regional Society for Culture and Sport). Official suppliers include Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool, and Enovis, while institutional collaborators are ADESP and World Sailing.