49er teams to watch in 2026
by 49er and Nacra 17 Sailing 15 Mar 11:41 GMT
2025 49er, Fx, Nacra 17 Worlds, Cagliari © Sailing Energy
The first years of a new Olympic cycle always bring change, but the 49er fleet in 2026 might be one of the most open we have seen in years. With several of the top ten finishers from the Paris Olympic cycle stepping away from the class or reducing their presence this year, the fight for podiums and early momentum toward the 2028 Olympics looks wide open.
The biggest shift comes from the absence of the reigning champions. Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, the current Olympic and World Champions, are not expected to be very present on the 49er circuit this season. The Spanish duo will be focusing much of their time on the America's Cup and the SailGP circuit. Their dominance over the past major 49er events has set the standard in the fleet, but with their scheduled absence this year, the door is wide open for other teams.
Several other big names from the previous Olympic cycle are also no longer active in the fleet. The Kiwi Olympic silver medalists Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie have retired, while the American Olympic bronze medalists Hans Henken and Ian Barrows are also not campaigning in the class (for now). Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki, who finished fifth at the Games, are no longer sailing together. The Šime Fantela and Mihovil Fantela pairing has not been seen at recent events, and the British Olympians James Peters and Fynn Sterritt have also retired after Paris. With so many established front runners missing from the start of this cycle, the 2026 season could be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.
Clément Péquin and Erwan Fischer
One team that has clearly been building momentum is Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin. Despite not fully showing their potential at the Paris Olympics, the French duo has been performing extremely well. As world champions in 2024 and winners of Palma and Kiel Week last year, they enter 2026 as one of the teams to beat.
Their speed and consistency over the past season have been impressive and if their trajectory continues they will be serious contenders to repeat their success in Palma and throughout the year.
Conrad Konitzer and Antonio Torrado
Another team we have our eyes on this season is Conrad Konitzer and Antonio Torrado, currently ranked fifth in the world. The Spanish pair has shown one of the biggest progressions in the fleet since the start of their partnership in 2023.
Palma could be a particularly strong venue for them since Konitzer is a local in Mallorca. The team knows that the battle to represent Spain at the next Olympics will be extremely tough, especially with Botín and Trittel still in the picture. However, with the Olympic champions away from the 49er for much of this season, this could be a major opportunity for Torrado and Konitzer if they play their cards right.
Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken
The Dutch are always a threat in the 49er fleet and Bart Lambriex has recently returned to the boat with Floris van de Werken after taking some time away to become a father to his first child, Kato, with Odile Van Aanholt.
The Dutch team finished second at the 2025 World Championships in Cagliari and already has three world titles to their name. We did not see much of them immediately after the Olympics, but they returned toward the end of 2025 and looked strong right away. With their experience and proven track record they are definitely a team to watch closely this year.
Jonas Warrer and Mathias Sletten
One of the biggest surprises of the 2025 season came from the Danish pairing of Jonas Warrer and Mathias Sletten.
Palma last year was their first event together and also Warrer's return to the 49er after a very long time away from the class. The result was not great as they finished 58th. However the hard work clearly paid off as the season progressed. By the time the fleet reached the World Championships in Cagliari the Danish team had shaken off the cobwebs and delivered an incredible performance to take bronze.
If their upward trajectory continues they could easily find themselves fighting for the top positions this season.
Sébastien Schneiter and Arno de Planta
Sébastien Schneiter and Arno de Planta are a team that is almost always in the top of the fleet but have not yet managed to secure a major event win.
After the Olympics they took a break from the skiff while considering whether to step away from Olympic sailing and focus fully on professional circuits such as SailGP. The World Championships in Cagliari ended up being their first event back in the boat and it quickly became clear that they could not stay away from the 49er for long.
Many sailors feel the same way. There is something truly unique about Olympic skiff sailing when it comes to the level of competition. Few fleet racing environments can match the depth and intensity of an Olympic skiff fleet, where a large number of highly competitive teams are capable of fighting for the top positions.
Even sailors who move into the professional side of the sport often return to the class to keep their skills sharp and continue competing at the highest level of fleet racing. The Olympic skiffs remain a benchmark for pure sailing performance and intensity. On top of that, the prestige of winning an Olympic medal still stands above most other achievements in the sport, which continues to draw sailors back to the fleet year after year.
Even without much recent training in the boat, Schneiter and de Planta finished 12th at the Worlds in Cagliari, a very solid result and an impressive return to the fleet. They looked comfortable straight away, showing that the instinct and racing sharpness developed in the 49er never really disappears.
It also highlights how many sailors continue to use the 49er to sharpen their overall racing skills, even while competing in other areas of the sport. We do not know how much 49er sailing they will be doing this season while juggling their SailGP commitments, but it is clear they remain motivated to improve on their Olympic results. With their experience and consistency near the top of the fleet, it would be no surprise to see them pushing hard over the coming years in pursuit of an Olympic medal.
Other Teams to Watch
Several other teams are also worth keeping an eye on this season.
James Grummett and Rhos Hawes from Great Britain have been extremely consistent, finishing in the top four at both the 2024 and 2025 World Championships and delivering strong results across many events.
Germany's Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger also showed impressive speed last season and finished second in Palma last year.
The Danish team of Frederik Rask and Jakob Precht Jensen should not be overlooked either. They finished third in Palma last year and followed that up with sixth place at the World Championships in October.
With so many of the established names from the previous Olympic cycle missing or reducing their presence, the 49er fleet in 2026 feels more open than it has in a long time. A new group of teams now has the opportunity to step forward and establish themselves at the front of the fleet as the race toward the 2028 Olympics begins.