Silver for Stranksy at ILCA European Championships

Mara Stransky © Thom Touw

Australia's ILCA squad has wrapped up a testing week of racing at the 2025 ILCA European Championships in Marstrand, Sweden, with Mara Stransky securing silver in the ILCA6 to headline a strong team performance.

The championships delivered a true test of versatility, with heavy breeze to light winds mixing with punchy sea states across the six days of racing. Stransky rose to the challenge, securing her personal best at a European Championship, "It's really nice to get a PB because I think I've not felt like I've been sailing all that well for the last while," said Stransky.

"It definitely feels like a bit of a culmination of it all, it's been a lot of effort and a lot of promise but not a lot of results to show for it so I'm really happy to finish the season off with this."

Fellow National Squad member Zoe Thomson was also in the hunt throughout the week, finishing a solid sixth overall in the ILCA6. Elyse Ainsworth fought through the fleet to finish 23rd, while rising star Evie Saunders was 35th and Victorian Casey Imeneo was 48th. Reflecting on the squad, Stransky added, "It's been a privilege to work with the girls this year and we've had a lot of positive improvement in so many areas."

Ethan McAullay - photo © Thom Touw

In the men's ILCA7, Ethan McAullay impressed with his strongest performances this year, taking fourth overall in a 153-strong fleet. Zac Littlewood finished 21st overall.

"I'm pretty happy with the week," said McAullay. "I had a really good final series as well and I've struggled in the past so really happy to wrap up the week."

On what else he took from the week he added, "I think as always just the some of the principles around racing, but I also got some takeaways with speed and I struggled a little bit downwind this week, it's a little bit uncharacteristic but we'll try and improve that and learn from that for the next time."

Australian Sailing Team Technical Director Michael Blackburn praised the squad's efforts while noting opportunities for growth, "It was a case of mixed results in mixed conditions for our two squads."

"Mara and Ethan delivered personal bests, Zoe was solid, and all sailors showed real effort. At the same time, there were points left on the table, giving us both pride in their performances and a clear set of gaps to target at the next training camp."

With a silver medal, two top-six finishes, and multiple sailors in gold fleet across both classes, the sailors have reinforced just how strong the ILCA program is in Australia. The squads will now take a short break before reuniting for the Australian summer season and build into the 2026 season.

Overall Results:

ILCA 6 - 93 Entries
2nd - Mara Stransky (AST)
6th - Zoe Thomson (AST)
23rd - Elyse Ainsworth (AST)
35th - Evie Saunders (ASPT)
48th - Casey Imeneo (ASPT)

ILCA 7 - 153 Entries
4th - Ethan McAullay (ASPT)
21st - Zac Littlewood (AST)
36th - Luke Elliott (AUS)
44th - Michael Compton (ASF)
60th - Lawson McAullay (ASF)
114th - Julian Taylor (AUS)
116th - Patrick Scally (AUS)

Find the full results here.