Barcolana Nuota Powered by Honda – Trofeo Luca Giustolisi
by Barcolana 5 Oct 11:25 BST
2-11 October 2026
Barcolana Nuota Powered by Honda – Trofeo Luca Giustolisi © Martina Orsini
Barcolana58 presented by Generali enjoyed an action-packed Sunday of sport across several locations in Friuli Venezia Giulia. In Trieste, off Piazza Unità, 410 swimmers took to the waters of the Gulf for Barcolana Nuota powered by Honda alongside ambassador Gregorio Paltrinieri.
Also in Trieste, Barcolana Young Trofeo Optimist Italia Kinder Joy of Moving concluded with the prize-giving ceremony, while Barcolana Lake Up came to a close at Lago dei Tre Comuni. Meanwhile, with one week to go until the regatta, 1,364 boats are now registered for Barcolana58 presented by Generali on 11 October.
Barcolana Nuota Powered by Honda (Trofeo Luca Giustolisi) - On a day that felt like summer, the great celebration of the 12th Barcolana Nuota powered by Honda broke all previous participation records, with 410 swimmers on the starting line and a large crowd watching the race. Among the high-profile participants were Gregorio Paltrinieri and Barbara Pozzobon, who started with a 100-metre handicap behind the main group to underline the sporting spirit of an event that, year after year, attracts growing numbers of enthusiasts and athletes from across Italy.
Within just a few minutes, Paltrinieri and Pozzobon had caught up with the group, who were swimming a one-nautical-mile course (approximately 1,850 metres) off Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, cheered on by spectators lining the Rive and Molo Audace.
The final hundred metres produced a head-to-head battle between Gregorio Paltrinieri and Ivan Sartor. The young champion from Montebelluna, competing in his first Barcolana Nuota, moved into the lead just metres from the finish, touching the timing board after 16 minutes and 53 seconds. The first woman overall was Italy's Giulia Salin, who also won in 2024, followed by Barbara Pozzobon, who in 2017 finished as the first woman and second overall. The rankings, available on the Barcolana website, cover all categories, reflecting the true spirit of Barcolana: an event that brings great champions and enthusiasts together in the water.
"It was an exciting race," said Ivan Sartor. "I come from Montebelluna and this is the first time I have taken part in this event. I put a lot into it because I loved the idea of winning in such a beautiful setting, in front of such a large crowd and alongside so many champions."
"Another exceptional edition," commented SVBG President Mitja Gialuz, who, as every year, greets all participants as they enter the water and again at the finish. "Here we find the same philosophy as Barcolana: seeing great champions happy and enthusiastic to take to the water alongside all the enthusiasts, creating a unique celebration."
"A great celebration and a way to promote our sport and make it increasingly popular," commented Sigrid Deriz, CEO of Triestina Nuoto Samer & Co. Shipping, which organises the event together with Barcolana. "This is an event that grows every year, helped by the great champions who promote it, but above all by the passion of so many amateur swimmers who see swimming as part of their life experience, not simply as a sport."
Barcolana Young Trofeo Optimist Italia Kinder Joy of Moving - Day 3 (FINAL) - After a first day marked by strong Bora winds and a second with light winds, the young sailors returned to the water today for the final day of racing, but conditions did not allow the programme to be completed. The Race Committee attempted two starts and, in one of the races, the entire fleet managed to complete the first lap, but the race could not be finished.
The standings from the first two days therefore remain final and are available on the event's Official Notice Board at Optimist Italia. 2026_10_04_CS Giornaliero - gio...
Alisia Pellei of Club Vela Portocivitanova won the Optimist dinghy offered as a prize by the Kinder Joy of Moving circuit. The draw took place on Sunday morning at Molo 0, in the presence of Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano President Mitja Gialuz, together with Alessandro Bonifacio, SVBG Youth Sports Director, and Marcello Meringolo, coach of the Italian Optimist national team.
The three days of Barcolana Young concluded at 5.30 pm with the prize-giving ceremony in the Sala Luttazzi at Magazzino 26, a great celebration for the young athletes who came to Trieste for the fourth leg of the Trofeo Optimist Italia Kinder Joy of Moving.
Barcolana Lake Up - DAY 2 - The second edition of Barcolana Lake Up concluded today at Lago di Cavazzo, also known as Lago dei Tre Comuni. After the raftball matches on the pitch set up in front of the campsite with Scuola Kayak & Rafting Friuli and the paragliding displays by Volo Libero Friuli, the afternoon belonged to Barcolana Modelvela, one of Lake Up's signature events. The radio-controlled yachts, promoted by Associazione Italiana Modelvela and ASD Nautilago, competed from a line start around a windward-leeward course.
The overall victory went to Remi Bres, who also topped the Maxi category, ahead of reigning world champion Ante Kovacievic and Andreas Rosenwirth. In the other categories, Massimo Apostoli, sailing NdoVeto, won Class 2, while Walter Zangrando took Class 3. Remi Bres also won the Italian 10R Championship classification, ahead of Ante Kovacievic and Pietro Casagrande. The overall winner received a gift card provided by Mega Intersport.
SVBG Vice-President Dean Bassi reached Lago dei Tre Comuni by paraglider after taking off from Monte San Simeone. His spectacular arrival preceded the 4.30 pm prize-giving ceremony, accompanied by a DJ set from Gravy Deejay and a pasta party, bringing two days of sport and festivities on the shores of the lake to a close.
"This morning we started out flying in Trieste on our wings," commented Vice-President Dean Bassi, "and we ended the day flying over Lago dei Tre Comuni. It was a great thrill to descend from Monte San Simeone to the Barcolana Lake Up prize-giving ceremony and land directly by the lake. Seen from above, it is spectacular: the crystal-clear water and the landscape once again show just how extraordinary our region's natural treasures are. This is also what Barcolana wants to do: be an ambassador for the beauty of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Be brave. Be Barcolana."
Barcolana Waterpolo - The semi-finals and finals of the international 4-a-side water polo tournament were held at Trieste's Bruno Bianchi swimming pool. The tournament was organised by Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano - Barcolana, HaBaWaBa and Waterpolo Project, in collaboration with Pallanuoto Trieste. Ten international teams, comprising a total of 80 athletes, competed over two days in the reduced-format tournament, with the final matches taking place today from 9 am to noon. The tournament was won by the Pallanuoto Trieste Men's Under-18 team. At 1 pm, Waterpolo Project also took part in an exhibition match.
Barcolana Fun - The final hours of competition are under way in Barcolana FUN, the free, borderless national online ranking connecting kiters, wingers and windsurfers from Italy and Slovenia, competing both at sea and on inland waters - lagoons, lakes and rivers - through the GPSFormula platform.
The provisional standings are currently led by Luka Pozar in wingfoil, Matej Vidmar in windsurf slalom, Nal Pegan in windsurf foil, Felice De Nicol in kitefoil and Giovanni Baldassi in kitesurf twintip. GPX tracks, used to calculate performances over 100, 200 and 500 metres, can be uploaded until 11.59 pm on Monday 5 October, when the competition officially closes.
Project partners are Reptile, Kitelife, GPSFormula, CKWI and SVBG. The prize-giving ceremony will take place on Thursday 8 October at the Barcolana Village in Trieste.