Littlewood claims bronze in wild weather ILCA7 World Championship
by Lisa Darmanin / Australian Sailing Team 17 May 20:52 BST
14-19 May 2025
Zac Littlewood, Final Day © Beau Outteridge
Zac Littlewood has claimed a bronze medal at the ILCA 7 World Championships in Qingdao, China, after an intense and unpredictable week of racing.
It was a tale of two winds that decided the World Champions in the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes, as what was scheduled to be a six-day regatta turned into a two-day shootout. The first four days of racing were deemed unsailable due to light winds, strong currents, and dense fog.
When racing finally commenced, sailors were met with light 5 to 7 knot breezes on day one, followed by a complete shift in conditions on the final day, with shifty offshore winds ranging from 15 to 25 knots. The 20 Australian athletes on the water were tested not only by the dramatic weather shifts but also by the mental and physical demands of a condensed championship.
"It was one of those weeks where you had to perform at the right time," Littlewood reflected. "It's not a typical 12-race Worlds so it's a bit of a different feeling, but you take the result when it comes and roll with it."
"I'm obviously pretty happy," he continued. "I'm not going to sit there counting the points and thinking about what went wrong yesterday or today. I'm just going to be happy with how the week ended up."
On the long delays he commented, "Mentally, this week was tough, coming down every day knowing you probably weren't going to race, but still having to prepare as if you were. It was just being 'on' the whole time that made it such a challenge."
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Elyse Ainsworth was the top-placed Australian, finishing seventh overall in a tightly contested field. "It was definitely a unique Worlds, that's for sure, but it feels pretty good," Ainsworth said. "It was such a mental regatta, and to have every point really count, it elevated the stress. So to walk away with seventh, I'm pretty happy with that."
Australian Sailing Team Technical Director, Michael Blackburn, praised the efforts of the team in challenging circumstances.
"It was a strange week, good to get some racing in, but today was hardcore, gusting up to 25 knots," Blackburn said. "The two very different conditions meant well-rounded sailors had the best opportunity to get strong results, it was fantastic to see Zac deliver a personal best, finishing third overall."
He continued, "Unfortunately, with no opportunity to progress to gold fleet racing, the best sailors didn't get to race each other, which made for a slightly unusual regatta. But it was valuable to observe how everyone responded to the challenge and the uncontrollables that come with our sport."
The Australian Sailing Team and Pathway Team athletes now take a moment to reflect on this first major milestone toward the LA 2028 Olympic Games. They'll reset ahead of their next key events, a regatta on the Olympic waters of Los Angeles in July, followed by the European Championships in August.
Full results can be found here
ILCA 6 - 99 Entries
7th - Elyse Ainsworth (AST)
12th - Zoe Thomson (ASPT)
16th - Sylvie Stannage (AUS)
21st - Mara Stransky (AST)
25th - Casey Imeneo (ASPT)
28th - Francis Beebe (AUS)
38th - Evie Saunders (ASPT)
87th - Caitlin Shaw (AUS)
ILCA 7 - 138 Entries
3rd - Zac Littlewood (ASPT)
16th - Ethan McAullay (ASPT)
23rd - Isaac Schotte (AUS)
25th - Lawson McAullay (AUS)
42nd - Stefan Elliott-Shircore (AUS)
46th - Michael Compton (AUS)
78th - Daniel Costandi (AUS)
87th - Alexander Bijkerk (AUS)
88th - Healy Ryan (AUS)
94th - Edward Reid (AUS)
124th - Xavier Bates (AUS)
129th - Riley Cantwell (AUS)