Wearn's Final Day Comeback Secures World Championship Silver Lining
by Lisa Darmanin / Australian Sailing Team 31 Aug 06:19 BST
23-30 August 2026
Silver for Matt Wearn at the 2026 ILCA 7 Men's World Championship in Dublin Bay © Beau Outteridge / Australian Sailing Team
Matt Wearn delivered a masterclass on the final day of the ILCA 7 World Championships in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, turning a tough week of racing into a silver-medal finish.
After struggling early in the week, the two-time Olympic Champion found himself ninth overall with a significant points gap to claw back. But with the new format compressing the scores going into the final day, the door was still open.
And Wearn kicked it down.
The 30-year-old finished first and second in the Final Series races, producing exactly the kind of performance he has become known for when the pressure is highest. While the objective is always gold, the fight back to silver meant plenty.
"It's a little bittersweet, and you sort of feel like you've taken it out of someone's hands, but at the same time, it seems to be the new format, and you've got to perform on the last day," said Wearn. "So, it feels good to have a silver medal at the World Championships considering how the whole week's gone."
Sitting 14 points off gold and 13 off silver with 20 points available across the two final races, Wearn had plenty of ground to make up. Usually, the man at the front of the fleet with everyone else hunting him down, he showed he can do the hunting just as well when the pressure is on.
"Quite tricky conditions, but I had a win in the first race, which I guess sort of put me in the hunt a little bit more, and then the second race, it was sort of all happening.
"I was OCS (on course side) and then fought back. I think I was last around the top mark and first around it the next lap. Then just missed out on winning the World Championships but ended up with a silver medal. So, I can't be unhappy with that."
For National Coach Rafa Trujillo, the result was another strong marker in what has been an impressive return for Wearn. "It definitely exceeds expectations," Trujillo said of Wearn's season, which has included three Grand Slam gold medals and now a World Championship silver.
Wearn took a year away from international competition following the 2024 Olympic Games, a break Trujillo believes was crucial for the reigning Olympic Champion.
"I know that a year off was needed, but his diligence doesn't go on holidays. He kept his body in perfect shape, and this year he is completely refreshed," Trujillo said. "And that was the feeling throughout the year. He always has more in the tank for the end of the events."
That stood in contrast to the lead-up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Marseille, where Wearn was carefully managing his energy. Trujillo explained, "In the lead-up to Marseille, with the long Covid, with everything, we were feeling that we never had the tank full. We always needed to manage energy, whereas now he's got plenty of energy mentally and physically to make the events."
The Australian ILCA 7 National Squad will now take a few weeks off before reconvening in Sydney at the Australian Sailing Team National Training Centre.
Despite the break, there is little time before the next major target: the 2027 World Sailing Championships in January in Fortaleza, Brazil. The event will also provide Australia's first opportunity to secure a national quota place for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Squad (AS Squad), Australian Sailing Futures (ASF), State Sailing Performance Program (SSPP) and other Australian (AUS) results at the ILCA7 World Championships:
ILCA7 (141 entries)
2nd - Matt Wearn (AST)
21st - Ethan McAullay (AST)
23rd - Zac Littlewood (AST)
45th - Isaac Shotte (AS Squad)
76th - Michael Compton (AS Squad)
101st - Alexander Bijkerk (SSPP)
106th - Lawson McAullay (AS Squad)
126th - Patrick Scally (AUS)
136th - Finn Buckley (AUS)
Full results can be found here.