Tristan triumphs to win second eSailing World title

Tristan triumphs to win second eSailing World title © World Sailing

The 2025 eSailing World Championship has concluded with a dramatic final live from Gdynia as part of the Gdynia Sailing Days festival.

Tristan Péron (asere) became eSailing's first double world champion after qualifying for five finals, including his previous title win in Trieste in 2023.

The Frenchman said, "I started not so good, I was behind. But I just know if you get consistent, you can always come back.

"Everyone is super strong, but they all make mistakes, so do I. So, it was my time to not make a mistake, and I succeeded in coming back in the end.

When asked about asere's protest with fellow competitor Lorenzo Sorrenti (Lorenzo) in race seven, he said: "I have some regrets. The level is so high, and the tension is also super high.

"Sometimes we make small mistakes that annoy other players who are mostly your friends.

"That's what happened. I gave him a penalty, I think it was only fair, but he thought it was not. We went to the protest and the jury decided."

Following the protest's dismissal, the drama continued in the eighth race - where a technical glitch in the game's rule engine delayed proceedings and triggered a re-sail of the race - which was won by the eventual champion.

Adding to the tension was the elimination of the lowest-ranked players after race eight, a new feature of the event's format for this year.

It was Ukrainian eSailor Kyrylo Dolhov (NaVi 767) who was first to be eliminated. A devastating blow after the finalist drove over 1700km over 36 hours from his home in eastern Ukraine to participate and represent his nation. He remains proud and eager to showcase Ukraine on the eSailing world stage again soon.

Also eliminated was second-time finalist Sara Granberg (SGR88), finishing her regatta with her best result, a fifth place.

The field was slimmed to 10 competitors for the final double points medal race. It was Japan's Kazuki Miyamae (FSC-Kazuki) who took medal race line honours, catapulting him into silver medal position overall. Japan's second podium across the span of the event's history.

Completing the podium, on his debut eSailing final, was Portugal's José Mendes (zemendes-RS), who earned himself $2,000 in the process.

World Sailing Vice President Tomasz Chamera said, "Congratulations to all who qualified for the final.

"We are very proud that this event came to Gdynia. Not only for Gdynia Sailing Days... but especially because this is one of the events that leads to Gdynia's hosting of the World Sailing Championships in 2027.

"Thank you to City of Gdynia for supporting this event and being proud to call Gdynia the sailing capital of Poland.

"Thank you especially to all the volunteers, staff, World Sailing colleagues and my friends representing the Polish Yachting Association and Gdynia Municipality."

View the final standings here

The journey to the final

The journey to the final began in January, with thousands of competitors from around the world participating in six qualifiers and over 19,000 races. The season showcased virtual sailing at its finest, testing competitors' adaptability and strategic prowess across a variety of virtual boat classes.

Through three demanding stages of qualifying and playoffs, the field was narrowed down to 12 elite eSailors who earned their place in the grand final.