470 Junior World Championship 2026 at Gdynia, Poland - Day 2
by International 470 Class Association 14 Jul 18:46 BST
11-17 July 2026
The Gold Fleet cut has been decided after another exciting day of racing at the 470 Junior World Championships in Gdynia. Two races were completed on Tuesday in excellent conditions, with sunshine and a steady 10-12-knot breeze providing a perfect stage for the championship.
"We're pretty happy that the sun came out. Yesterday was a bit gloomy, a bit windier, so it was nice to kind of settle down a bit, get into like a bit more of a pumping rhythm, especially today. That was a big part of the starts especially", said Sienna Brown from Australia.
"I was surprised a little bit with the conditions. I wasn't expecting it to be this nice, so it was a good change compared to some of the warm-up days we had, which was a little bit cold and gloomy. It gets a bit lonely training in Sydney sometimes, just having sort of two or three boats maybe, so it's been really nice to get over here and sort of compare ourselves to the European fleet. The level is quite good. It's been a really good opportunity for us", Ellis Merrett, the Australian crew.
France's Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel successfully defended their overall lead and remained at the top of the standings after four races. Just two points behind are Norway's Julia Jacobsen and Victor Loof.
Italy's Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio climbed to third overall after delivering the performance of the day with two race wins. The Italian pair also moved into the lead of the U21 classification.
"The wind was great; we had a good breeze, and it wasn't too cold. The key was getting into the right position at the start and controlling the fleet. We raced here three years ago in the 420 class, but I remember the conditions being much shifty than they are now. This week we've had great wind every day, including during our training before the championship. Hopefully, the conditions will stay just as good for the rest of the event", said Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio.
The battle at the top remains incredibly close. The Norwegian, Italian and Israeli teams are all tied on eight points, while Germany's Amelie Wehrle and Riccardo Honold sit just behind them, keeping the fight for the medals wide open.
With the completion of the qualifying series, the fleet will now split into Gold and Silver Fleets. The top 28 teams will compete in the Gold Fleet over the next two days, where the 2026 470 Junior World Champions will be decided on Friday with two Medal Series Races.
In the U21 standings, Ukraine's Sviatoslav Madonich and Yelyzaveta Vasylenko are currently second, while Israel's Tehila Sidis and Amitai Levkovitz hold third place.