Spain wins its third consecutive Optimist Team Racing World Championship

The fourth official day of the 2026 Optimist World Championship brought a change of format to the competition. After three days of fleet racing, teams moved on to the Team Racing qualifying stage, leading into the decisive day in which Spain were crowned Team Racing World Champions.

Tangier welcomed the sailors with fully summery conditions: sunshine, high temperatures and a particularly flat Bay of Tangier in the morning. The wind was very light at first, gradually filling in from the west and eventually allowing the team competition to get under way.

In an effort to bring the action closer to spectators, the Racing Committee set the racing area in front of the Marina, enabling families, coaches and fans to watch the races from shore. However, at 11:20 am, the teams had to remain ashore due to the lack of wind.

Finally, at 12:00 noon, conditions improved sufficiently for the sailors to take to the water. The wind remained westerly throughout the afternoon and did not exceed 7 knots, conditions that demanded precision, patience and close coordination from every team member. Despite the light breeze, the team races delivered plenty of excitement and a great atmosphere on the water.

A total of 48 countries qualified for the Team Racing stage based on the combined results of their sailors over the first three days of individual competition. The day was split across two race courses, Alpha and Bravo, where the first races of Flights A and B were held, followed by two additional flights that completed the qualifying stage and determined the 16 national teams advancing to the final phase.

Spain secured a place among the top 16 teams and capped a strong performance with the overall victory, winning the Optimist Team Racing World title. The Spanish squad once again demonstrated excellent coordination, strategy and consistency in very light winds that demanded maximum concentration.

Spain’s route to the gold medal was marked by a remarkable comeback. After losing their opening match against Slovenia, the Spanish team went on to defeat Norway, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Canada and Argentina in succession to reach the final. There, they faced Türkiye in a best-of-three series, with Spain winning two of the three races to take gold. Türkiye finished second, while Argentina completed the podium.

In the individual standings, Daniel Capa of Club Nàutic s’Estanyol continues to enjoy an excellent championship and currently sits eighth overall, consolidating his place among the leading sailors at this world event.

Today, Thursday 25th of June, the championship continues with the final races of the individual competition, where the Spanish sailors will keep fighting for the best possible result.