Five Balearic sailors will compete in the 470 Mixed European Champ and the ILCA 6 and 7 World Champ

Jordi Xammar and the sailor from Club Nàutic s'Arenal, Marta Cardona, will compete in the Mixed 470 European Championship, while Marga Perelló, from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Pep Cazador, from Club Nàutic s'Arenal, and Javier Seguí, from Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença, will take part in the ILCA 6 and 7 World Championship.

The Mixed 470 European Championship begins this Monday, 12th of May, in the waters of Split (Croatia), a key date for the two new Spanish crews: one formed by Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona, and the other by Silvia Mas and Alex Marsans. The ILCA 6 and 7 World Championships also kick off on Monday in Qingdao, the Olympic sailing venue of the 2008 Beijing Games, and on Wednesday, the Formula Kite European Championship will begin in Urla (Turkey), where Gisela Pulido returns to competition following an injury suffered at the end of March.

Catalan sailor Jordi Xammar, bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, heads into the continental Mixed 470 event in Croatia eager to add another medal to his collection. In the previous Olympic cycle, with Nora Brugman as his teammate, he won silver in 2022 and became European champion in 2024. Now teamed up with Mallorcan sailor Marta Cardona from Club Nàutic s’Arenal for just a few months, they are aware of their limited time sailing together, but the podium finish at the recent French Olympic Week confirms their quick progress and strong potential.

“We’re expecting a championship with very little wind; it looks like it’s going to be long and tough,” explained Marta Cardona. “We haven’t sailed much in these conditions, but we’ve trained many hours this week and we’re feeling positive. We’re approaching the championship with a lot of enthusiasm, eager to keep learning and improving step by step, and aiming to go all out.”

The Catalan sailors Silvia Mas and Alex Marsans are also highly motivated to prove their strong development in Split. Their goal is to make it to the Medal Race, which they narrowly missed at the recent French Olympic Week.

The Mixed 470 European Championship will take place in Split from Monday through Saturday the 17th, when the Medal Race for the top ten crews will be held. A total of 37 teams will compete in the championship with a dual objective: to fight for a coveted continental podium spot and to prepare for the World Championship, set to take place in a month in Gdynia, Poland.

Gran Canarian sailor Isabel Hernández and Alicante natives Lara Himmes and Claudia Adán are participating in the ILCA 6 World Championship as part of the pre-Olympic team. The sailor from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Marga Perelló, is also competing in the event, although outside the Spanish Sailing Federation’s official program. A total of 99 sailors from 49 countries have gathered in Qingdao (China) for the first World Championship of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.

In the men’s category, Tenerife’s Leo Barreto, Alicante’s Gonzalo Suárez, and Mallorcans Pep Cazador, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal and Javier Seguí, from Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença will line up for the ILCA 7 World Championship, aiming to place among the top 50 in a highly competitive field featuring 138 athletes.

“The team is doing quite well,” said Gustavo Lima, coach of the ILCA 7 pre-Olympic team. “It’s a fairly new team, but everyone has a clear vision and they are improving in performance and confidence. The primary goal is to make it into the Gold fleet; qualifying all four in the top 47 won’t be easy, but we’re expecting good wind in the qualifying rounds, so we hope our hard work pays off.”

The ILCA 6 and 7 World Championships begin this Monday in the waters of Qingdao, the iconic sailing venue from the Beijing Olympics, and will conclude on Saturday, May 17, with the Medal Race.