470 World Championship 2026 in Enoshima - Overall
by International 470 Class Association 17 Aug 16:12 BST
10-17 August 2026
The 2026 470 World Championship in Enoshima, Japan, has come to an end. British sailors Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris claimed the World Championship title after two very demanding Medal Races on the final day.
The silver medal went to the German team Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr, while the Spanish team Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona took bronze.
The two Medal Races were held in very light wind, with the first race starting at 9:00 a.m. After the equipment check, all teams headed out onto the water.
The first race was won by the local team from Enoshima, Tetsuya Isozaki and Yurie Seki, who kept their medal chances alive. The British team finished seventh, but their points advantage from the previous races secured them a strong position overall. Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona finished fifth, while the German team crossed the finish line in fourth place.
In the second race, after the first upwind leg, it was clear that the race would be a real sailing "tie-break". Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris led from the very beginning and their victory was never in doubt. The main battle was for silver and bronze.
"It's so surreal after we had such a tough start. I mean, I don't even know what to say. It's unbelievable. And I think it's especially special being here in Enoshima, where obviously the Tokyo Games weren't that long ago. It feels like the home of the 470. Like, we've had so many boats here", said Bettine. "Biggest world since it went mixed. And I just, I'm so unbelievably happy. I'm proud of Martin. I'm proud of our coach Gidi. I'm proud of Hannah and James. It's just been a great kind of two months", she added.
"With the week we've had, with the tricky conditions, we knew how easy it is to get a bad race. And for things to be, yeah, not so good. And then we had a really tricky first race," said Martin.
The German pair received a penalty at the start and had to take their penalty turn, which forced them to take some risks. At the back of the fleet were the Spanish and Japanese teams. The points were very close, as Afrodite Zegers De Kleine and George Kavvas were also in contention for the bronze medal.
On the second lap, the German team, Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr, moved into second place, while the Spanish team was in ninth and the Japanese team in tenth. This point situation meant that the German team eventually secured the silver medal.
"It's just, we were super happy. I mean, we believed in us until the last second, but still going as a fourth in the medal race and now having silver is super good. The most interesting thing, I think, is the last race where we finished second after the penalty on the starting line and after that Jordi finished ninth, so it was very tight on points," said Theresa.
"After the start, it was like, OK, now we have to go to the left side because the other boats in front of us go to the right after the penalty. And then we had a good comeback to the windward mark and we knew everything was possible, but I think we didn't believe it for quite some time. And on the last downwind, suddenly it started hitting and we were both like, oh my God," added Christopher.
"I mean, we never had a big medal at any event. We had a medal at Kieler Woche Week, which was not a lot of people, so we believed in it, but we knew it's kind of unlikely. But we knew we were in a very good spot, a very good spot for our bodies and our minds, so everything is possible. Everything is possible. Our goal was to get into the medal race because that was also our first medal race at the World Championship. Last year, we missed it by one point, so this feels so nice", they added.
Spanish duo Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona, the defending 2025 World Champions, claimed the bronze medal. Jordi Xammar is the skipper in 470 history to achieve 8 consecutive World Championship podiums (2018-2026).
"It was a very difficult day, as all week, but I think we need to be proud. It's very hard to get a medal in a World Championship, and obviously, yes, you always want to win, but I think it's also important to value how hard it is to get a medal in the World Championship. So, to be honest, we are very happy. Obviously, the hard work continues", said Jordi.
Closing Ceremony
During the Closing Ceremony, the 470 Japan Association recognised the top-performing nations. The British teams Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris, and Hannah Bristow and James Taylor, who finished sixth, were recognised for their strong results.
The prize was presented by the Japanese brothers who won the World Championship here in 1989, Tomoaki Tsutsumi and Nobuhiro Tsutsumi.
Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris were also presented with the David Barnes Trophy by the 470 Class Association.
All of the top 10 teams were recognised during the ceremony. At the end of the event, Igor Marenic, President of the 470 Class Association, expressed his appreciation to the organisers and presented them with an award. The organisers were represented by Masaki Yamazaki, President of the Japan 470 Class Association; Yuu Nobutoki, Manager of the Japan 470 Class Association; and Taro Kyoguro, Race Officer for the World Championships.