The 2026 ILCA Under-21 European Championships & Open European Trophy will bring together a remarkable collection of recent Youth and Under-21 World and European champions, with many of the leading names having already met on the biggest stages of the ILCA youth pathway.
For several of them, Bodrum will be another chapter in rivalries that have developed over the past few seasons — from Youth Worlds and Youth Europeans to the Under-21 World Championship in Lanzarote earlier this year.
The ILCA 6 Women: champions and rising stars
The ILCA 6 Women bring together a remarkable concentration of recent championship medallists. Ginevra Caracciolo arrives as the reigning U21 World and European Champion, while Hermione Ghicas holds the 2026 Youth World and European titles and took silver behind Caracciolo at the U21 Worlds. Spain’s Adriana Castro, the bronze medallist in Lanzarote, will also return to the starting line, alongside Irene de Tomás, Maria Vittoria Arseni, Alina Shapovalova, Beáta Dokoupilová and Feline van Ede, all recent Youth or U21 championship medallists in ILCA 6.
The home challenge will also be interesting to follow, with several Turkish sailors lining up on familiar waters. Among them, Bodrum’s own Derin Değişen stands out after finishing runner-up at the 2025 ILCA 4 Youth Europeans and fourth at the Youth Worlds. Ece Tüzün, meanwhile, arrives with recent U21 World Championship experience, having been Turkey’s top ILCA 6 finisher in Lanzarote earlier this year.
The Open European Trophy also brings an international dimension, with sailors from outside Europe competing alongside the European fleet, including Isabella Mendoza Cabezas of the USA. She finished seventh at the 2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds.
The ILCA 7 Men: World champions and familiar rivals
The ILCA 7 fleet is headed by reigning U21 World Champion Antonio Pascali, with silver medallist Luka Zabukovec, bronze medallist Filip Olszewski and fourth-placed Karol Krupski Teterycz all returning to the battle. Alessandro Cirinei, meanwhile, arrives as the reigning U19 World Champion, with fellow Spaniards Tim Lubat and Sergio García joining him after taking silver and bronze respectively in the same category at the 2026 U21 Worlds. Croatia’s Josip Tafra brings an impressive championship record to Bodrum, having won both the 2025 ILCA 6 Senior European and Under-21 European titles, before taking silver at the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth Worlds. Now racing ILCA 7, he adds another strong name to an already competitive fleet.
The home fleet will also be one to watch, with Turkey fielding a strong group of sailors on familiar waters. Kutsal Güneş Kurnaz and Ali Poyraz Özdemir arrive with particularly recent form in Bodrum, having finished first and second respectively in the U19 ILCA 7 fleet at last month’s EurILCA Europa Cup.
Another Chapter Awaits
Across both fleets, the championship brings together sailors who have shared Youth and U21 podiums, built rivalries and followed one another through the ILCA pathway. Now they meet again in Bodrum, with the 2026 European titles at stake.
The full entry list is available here.
For further information about the event and how to follow the racing, please visit the official event website.
Report by Agustín Argüelles – EurILCA