2026 Tornado European Championship at Campione del Garda, Italy - Day 1

2026 Tornado Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1 © International Tornado Class Association

A high-level opening day for the Tornado European Championship at Univela Campione del Garda: three races were completed in ideal light-wind conditions, with the southerly Ora breeze blowing between 6 and 10 knots over flat water. Twenty-two crews from 12 nations are competing for the continental title.

Campione del Garda, 2 September 2026 - The Tornado European Championship got under way today at Univela Campione del Garda, delivering a first day of close and highly technical racing. The race area offered ideal conditions for the class: a light but steady southerly Ora breeze of 6 to 10 knots and completely flat water, allowing the Race Committee to complete three races.

The fleet brings together 22 Tornado crews representing Austria, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, San Marino, Spain and Switzerland. The entry list includes several leading international multihull sailors and some of the most successful names in the history of the Tornado class.

After three races, Greece's Konstantinos Trigonis and Konstantinos Kazantzis (GRE 11), sailing for the Nautical Club of Thessaloniki, lead the provisional overall standings on 9 points, after posting a 1st, 4th and 4th place. Trigonis is one of the best-known figures in international Tornado sailing, with four Olympic appearances, multiple major international titles and a long record of success in the class. Together with Kazantzis, he has won, among other achievements, the 2021 and 2022 Tornado World Championships.

Just one point behind, Switzerland's Jean-Marc Cuanillon and Michael Gloor (SUI 232) sit second overall on 10 points. Their consistent opening day included second place in the first race, victory in Race 2 and seventh in the final race of the day, keeping them firmly in contention for the European title.

2026 Tornado Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1 - photo © International Tornado Class Association

Third place is held by Germany's Markus and Nikolas Betz (GER 2), the father-and-son team who are the reigning 2026 Tornado World Champions. After a ninth place in the opening race, they recovered strongly with a third and a second, finishing the day on 14 points and building momentum for the rest of the championship.

Results after Day 1:

The leading Italian crew is Mirco Mazzini and Andrea Ciavatta (ITA 46, Punto Vela Bellariva Rimini), currently seventh overall on 23 points. Edoardo Trerè and Daniele Stargiotti are in 13th place, while Andrea Trerè and Lukas Kraus are 15th. San Marino's Samuele Selva and Matteo Paci are currently 21st and will look to improve over the coming races.

The standings remain wide open. Czech crew Michaela Pavlisova and Marek Pavlis, European Tornado Champions in 2021, are only seven points off the lead in fourth place, while the Greek team of Nikolaos Mavros and Polydoros Parianos moved up the rankings by winning the third race of the day.

A technical opening day

Today's light-air conditions highlighted the technical demands of Tornado racing. With flat water and winds ranging from 6 to 10 knots, clean starts, tactical positioning and maintaining consistent boat speed through shifts proved decisive.

The championship is now set for an intense continuation. Trigonis and Kazantzis begin the next stage with the advantage of the overall lead and their exceptional experience, but Cuanillon-Gloor and reigning World Champions Betz-Betz have already shown they have the pace and consistency to challenge all the way to the final race.

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