2026 WASZP European Championships Overall
by WASZP Media 21 Jul 11:13 BST
11-17 July 2026
Five days. 119 sailors. 16 nations. Four European Champions. One unforgettable week of foiling. The 2026 WASZP European Championship wrapped up in spectacular style, with Spain's Antonio Gasperini claiming the overall European title on home waters.
After years of chasing the crown, France's Louise Metenier finally captured the Women's European Championship, one of the most emotional moments of the week.
Italy also celebrated a remarkable regatta, with Giuseppe Chiantera winning the 7.5 European title and Elisa Bombana crowned 6.9 European Champion.
The final day held hope, but it was not to be. Despite the Race Committee's patience, the sea breeze never arrived, leaving the Europeans to be decided after four outstanding racing days and 13 fiercely contested races.
From dominant displays and dramatic lead changes to breakthrough performances and emotional celebrations ashore, Mar Menor once again showcased why WASZP continues to set the benchmark for accessible, high-performance foiling.
Hosted on the flat waters of one of Europe's premier foiling venues, the event welcomed 119 sailors from 16 nations across the 8.2, 7.5 and 6.9 rig divisions.
International champions lined up alongside first-time Europeans. Teenagers raced against sailors in their sixties.
Every fleet showcased exactly what makes WASZP unique: world-class racing without barriers, backed by the energy, friendship and enthusiasm of the global WASZP community.
Fast. Fearless. Fun.
A WASZP style kickoff - the opening begins with a bang
The week began with a colourful Opening Ceremony through the streets of Mar Menor, as sailors proudly paraded behind their national flags before gathering for the official welcome.
Local music, traditional Spanish hospitality and a warm reception from the Murcia region set the tone for everything that followed.
Competitors, coaches, families and supporters came together to celebrate not only the beginning of a major international event, but also the community that has become synonymous with WASZP.
It was the perfect opening to a week that would deliver on and off the water.
Four days. Thirteen races. No easy points.
Mar Menor threw everything at the fleet.
Steady thermal breeze. Small tactical shifts. Pressure lines that appeared and disappeared across the course. Flat-water speed. Light-air survival.
Winning races required speed. Winning European titles demanded consistency.
Across all three fleets, the standings evolved daily, with lead changes, comeback performances and title-defining moments keeping every contest alive until the final scheduled day.
WASZP Class Representative Agustin Ferrario, who worked tirelessly alongside the Federación de Vela Región de Murcia throughout the week, was delighted with the event.
"Mar Menor truly rolled out the red carpet for the WASZP Class this week. Incredible hospitality, fantastic food, memorable socials and spectacular racing created the perfect stage for another unforgettable Europeans."
On the water, the Swarm put on an incredible foiling display that captured the attention of everyone around the venue.
But it was the boat park once again showed what makes WASZP different. Seasoned racers and first-time competitors rig, race, learn and celebrate together.
That unique culture continues to attract new sailors and makes every regatta feel like coming home.
Gasperini delivers a home victory
Antonio Gasperini arrived as one of the favourites. He leaves as European Champion.
The reigning Spanish Champion controlled the 83-boat 8.2 fleet for almost the entire regatta, combining race-winning pace with remarkable consistency to secure the biggest title of his career in front of a home crowd.
Fellow Spaniard Alberto Morales Hernández completed an excellent week to finish runner-up, while Italy's Francesco Carrieri produced one of the comebacks of the event.
After sitting outside the podium during the opening half of the week, Carrieri stormed back on the penultimate day with a race victory and multiple podium finishes to climb into third overall, breaking Spain's hold on the podium.
Still an Under-19 sailor, Carrieri also comfortably secured the Under-19 European Championship.
Behind the leaders, different sailors challenged for race victories throughout the week, underlining the extraordinary depth of the championship fleet.
Chiantera wins the week's closest battle
The 7.5 fleet delivered the tightest title fight of the Europeans.
Italy's Giuseppe Chiantera and France's Louise Metenier traded the championship lead throughout the week before Chiantera's relentless consistency ultimately proved decisive.
Across 13 races, the Italian finished outside the top ten only once. He reclaimed the overall lead on the penultimate day and held on to become European Champion.
Metenier's outstanding performance earned her second overall and, after years of chasing the title, the Women's European Championship.
Italy's Olivia Castaldi completed both the overall and women's podiums, while Australia's Mina Ferguson produced one of the performances of the week by winning three races on the penultimate day to climb into third in the Women's Championship.
The fleet also highlighted the strength of the WASZP youth pathway, with several teenagers finishing among the overall frontrunners despite racing against vastly more experienced sailors.
Bombana Dominates the 6.9 Fleet
The 6.9 championship belonged to Elisa Bombana.
The Italian controlled the standings throughout the week with a series of consistently outstanding performances, securing both the Overall and Women's European titles.
Jacopo Andrian finished second overall, while Edoardo Marcantonio completed an all-Italian podium after another strong championship.
European titles across every generation
While the overall champions claimed the spotlight, the age-group titles demonstrated the extraordinary diversity of the WASZP fleet.
Francesco Carrieri claimed the Under-19 title, Miguel Ángel Morales Hernández became Under-21 Champion, Salvador Suárez Algarra led the Under-17 division, Daniel Castaldi topped the Under-15 fleet, Samson Cross won the Masters title and local favourite Mikel Vázquez delighted the home crowd by claiming the Super Masters Championship.
It was another reminder that few classes can bring Under-15 sailors, elite international athletes, Masters and Super Masters together on the same racecourse, competing for places within the same fleet.
A finale written by the weather
The last day promised one last showdown.
Nature had other plans.
The fleet waited ashore throughout the day, hoping the Mar Menor sea breeze would arrive.
Despite the patience of the Race Committee, conditions never developed sufficiently for racing. AP over A finally appeared, confirming the final standings after four days of competition.
As soon as the announcement was made, another favourite WASZP tradition began.
The new champions barely had time to celebrate before being hoisted onto shoulders and launched into the Mar Menor waters by the very sailors they had spent the week battling.
It was a fittingly chaotic and joyful end to a fiercely competitive week.
Celebrating more than champions
The Prize Giving Ceremony brought the Europeans to a fitting conclusion. Sprayed champagne and excitement marked the occasion.
Alongside the presentation of the European Championship trophies, several special awards recognised the unique character of the WASZP community.
Francesco Carrieri received the Speed Demon Award after recording the fastest speed of the event.
The Family Award celebrated Adriano and Mikel Vázquez, representing two generations of the same family competing together throughout the week.
The Influencer Award was presented to Hippolyte Gruet for documenting the Europeans across social media and sharing the experience with the wider sailing community.
Voices from Mar Menor
"It feels amazing. I worked for this for quite a long time and finally achieving it is a great feeling," said new European Champion Antonio Gasperini. Women's European Champion Louise Metenier added:
"It feels amazing. I was waiting for that for a really long time and it's such a relief. I have no words for it. It's so cool."
Principal Race Officer Javier Blanco praised both the venue and the competitors following the event.
"It has been a long week and also a great week with challenging conditions. We delivered a good number of quality races in a magnificent venue. The final day the wind simply never arrived, but overall it has been a fantastic championship."
Another Chapter for the Swarm
European Champions were crowned. New stars announced themselves.
Lifelong friendships grew even stronger.
Across five unforgettable days, Mar Menor once again showed why it has become one of Europe's great foiling venues and a special home for the WASZP community.
For Spain this is a coming of age as a foiling mecca with a 3 year partnership between the WASZP Class and Foiling Base Cadiz announced during the championship to provide a year round home for WASZP coaching, racing and community.
The Swarm now moves on to the UK for its Nationals and then to the Americas Championship in the 2nd week of August.