The 2024 ILCA 7 World championship concluded today in Adelaide, Australia, after six days of intense competition.
Superb sailing conditions enlightened the final days of racing, with 25-plus knot winds and more than two-meter seas.
Heading into today’s Medal Race, the top three positions were already determined, although sailors needed to compete to either enhance or secure their places on the podium.
With an 8-points lead over his closest competitor, the reigning Olympic Gold medalist Matthew Wearn AUS showcased his dominance again to win the Medal Race, ratifying his great performance throughout the week and claiming the ILCA 7 World championship title for the second consecutive time in his career. It’s the sixth medal for him at the ILCA 7 Worlds after being Bronze in 2017, Silver in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and Gold in 2023 and 2024.
Wearn’s achievement places him now as the fourth-best sailor in history at the ILCA 7 Worlds (2G 3S 1B), surpassing his coach Michael Blackburn AUS (1G 2S 2B) and Ben Ainslie GBR (2G 3B). The top three sailors in history remain Robert Scheidt BRA (9G 2S 1B), Tom Slingby AUS (5G 1S) and Nick Thompson GBR (2G 2S 2B).
Congratulations Matt!
The podium remained unchanged, with Norwegian Hermann Tomasgaard NOR following Wearn in the final race and clinching the Silver medal. This achievement marked his first-ever prize at an ILCA 7 World Championship, making him the fourth Norwegian sailor to accomplish this feat in history after Per Arne Nilson (1983 Silver), Eivind Melleby (1995 Bronze) and Peer Moberg (2001 Bronze).
The Bronze medal was for British Michael Beckett GBR, finishing 5th at the Medal race. It is his second accolade at the ILCA 7 Worlds, following the Silver obtained last year in The Hague.
After the completion of all 11 races, the following were finally the Top 10 athletes:
- Matthew Wearn AUS
- Hermann Tomasgaard NOR
- Michael Beckett GBR
- Philipp Buhl GER
- Thomas Saunders NZL
- Pavlos Kontides CYP
- Jean-Baptiste Bernaz FRA
- Filip Jurisic CRO
- Finn Lynch IRL
- Luke Elliot AUS
The next major event before the Olympics in Paris will be the 2024 ILCA Senior European Championships in Athens, Greece, taking place from February 16-23 2024. A total of 324 sailors are registered across all three classes; ILCA 7, ILCA 6 Women and ILCA 6 Men.
Hope to see you all there!
#ilcasailing #olympicsailing #keepsmilingkeepsailing
The EurILCA Team
Report by Agustín Argüelles – EurILCA | Photos by Down Under Sail.
