Aussies make history as first-ever champions of the Rio Sail Grand Prix

BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team driven by Tom Slingsby ahead of Artemis SailGP Team driven by Nathan Outteridge with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background, on Race Day 2 of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix © Jason Ludlow for SailGP

Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, lifting the trophy wheel, on Race Day 2 of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix © Jason Ludlow for SailGP

The Bonds Flying Roos have made history as the inaugural champions of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix, delivering a near-perfect Super Sunday performance to surge to the top of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship leaderboard.

Racing with a 27.5m wing in patchy conditions under Sugarloaf Mountain, the Australians thrived in the tough, tactical contest, dominating fleet racing with three wins from three to secure top spot and a place in the winner-takes-all Podium Final.

Despite receiving a late five-point event penalty for contact with Switzerland, the Bonds Flying Roos were still able to complete a clean sweep on Finals Day, amassing an impressive 58 of a possible 70 points on offer.

Carrying that momentum into the three-boat Podium Final, the Aussies fired across the start line and, with Artemis Racing penalised mid-race, never looked likely to relinquish control, securing the first-ever SailGP event win in South America. Spain's Los Gallos placed second behind Australia, with Artemis in third.

The result marks a major milestone for Australian wing trimmer Iain 'Goobs' Jensen, who claimed his first SailGP event victory in green and gold as the Bonds Flying Roos secured their second event win of the 2026 season.

Bonds Flying Roos Driver & CEO Tom Slingsby said, "I'm really pleased with the team. We've brought together a group with huge potential and although we hadn't fully clicked before, today we finally showed what we're capable of when everything comes together. It's a really satisfying feeling, not just as a driver but also seeing it from a broader perspective. It was also special to get this first win with Goobs. We go way back so sharing that moment meant a lot."

Slingsby added, "It was a challenging day, especially with the conditions and that incident at the start - the sun made it really hard to judge distances, and I misjudged it, which led to contact. It's actually the first time we've hit another boat in SailGP so not ideal but we were lucky it didn't impact the final result.

Racing here in Rio for the first time was incredible. It's an iconic venue with tricky, shifting conditions, but it was an amazing atmosphere. The support from the crowd was fantastic and we really loved sailing here."

The victory also sees Jensen and Bonds Flying Roos Flight Controller Jason Waterhouse return to the podium in Brazil - 10 years on from their Olympic silver at the same venue.

Flying Roos SailGP Team celebrate on the stage - Race Day 2 of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - April 12, 2025 - photo © Katelyn Mulcahy/SailGP

Jason Waterhouse, flight controller of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, sprays Barons De Rothschild Champagne into the crowd, on Race Day 2 of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix - photo © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

This weekend's result catapults Slingsby's all-Australian crew to the top of the overall Championship standings, opening up a seven-point lead over Emirates GBR and underlining their status as frontrunners in the 2026 season.

The Australians will now head to Bermuda for the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix on May 9-10, aiming to maintain their position at the top of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship leaderboard.