European Sailors Shine at 2025 ILCA 4 Youth Worlds
by Agustín Argüelles 28 Jul 16:12 AEST
19-26 July 2025
ILCA 4 Youth World Championships 2025 Prize Giving © Simone Staff
The 2025 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships concluded in dramatic fashion off the Californian coast, where six days of competitive sailing saw European athletes rise to the occasion—and dominate. In a resounding show of strength, European sailors claimed all four gold medals on offer, and secured 9 out of the 12 podium places across both age divisions and genders.
With over 30 nations represented, the regatta proved to be a true test of skill, determination, and resilience. Yet it was Europe that set the pace from start to finish, affirming its status as the heart of youth sailing development.
European Excellence: Four World Titles Secured
Blanca Ferrando Babe from Spain and Konstantinos Portosalte of Greece were crowned 2025 ILCA 4 Youth World Champions in the Girls' and Boys' fleets, respectively. Their performances were a masterclass in consistency, control, and composure under pressure. Both led the overall standings through most of the championship, and held their nerve on the decisive final day.
Portosalte, reflecting on his victory, said:
“I feel amazing. All the hard work from this year has paid off. I lost the European Championship in the last race, so I’m very happy to win the Worlds. I didn’t start so well today, but I stayed focused and managed the result I needed. I want to thank my coach, my team, and my family. It’s been a great journey.”
In the Under 16 category, Derin Bartan of Turkey and Nathan Wehrle from France were unstoppable. Bartan, remarkably, also finished third overall in the Girls’ fleet, while Wehrle secured fifth overall among the Boys. Their titles add to the growing list of European youth sailing stars making waves on the international circuit.
9 of 12 Medals Go to Europe
The sweep confirms Europe's deep and diverse talent pool. Athletes from Spain, Greece, Turkey, France, Italy, Sweden, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Croatia were all well represented in the top 10.
This dominance extended far beyond the podium: 30 of the 40 top-10 finishes (75%) across the four categories belonged to European nations.
Girls – Top 10 Overall
- Blanca Ferrando Babe ESP 56 pt
- Isabella Suazo PER 66 pt
- Derin Bartan TUR 79 pt
- Derin Degisen TUR 93 pt
- Elene Alchanati GRE 94 pt
- Beata Dokoupilova CZE 96 pt
- Adele Ramm-Ericson SWE 100 pt
- Giulia Marella ITA 100 pt
- Fragkiski Kosma GRE 117 pt
- Nika Fornazar CRO 130 pt
Girls – Top 10 Under 16
- Derin Bartan TUR 79 pt
- Gabriela Mascarenhas USA 162 pt
- Monica Osha Perez ESP 185 pt
- Jessica Powell GBR 196 pt
- Sofia Berteotti ITA 208 pt
- Francisca Puig Bonet ESP 227 pt
- Marta Ferrando Babe ESP 249 pt
- Alice Wan CAN 251 pt
- Ruoxian Wu CHN 283 pt
- Zixi Huang HKG 289 pt
Boys – Top 10 Overall
- Konstantinos Portosalte GRE 46 pt
- Erik Scheidt BRA 77 pt
- Sadrihan Suer TUR 83 pt
- Emmanouil Vomvylas GRE 85 pt
- Nathan Wehrle FRA 86 pt
- Nikko Palou ESP 89 pt
- Stefanos Samaras GRE 92 pt
- Charalampos Velianitis HKG 108 pt
- Edi Jurman CRO 132 pt
- Ian Goh SGP 150 pt
Boys – Top 10 Under 16
- Nathan Wehrle FRA 86 pt
- Nikko Palou ESP 89 pt
- Stefanos Samaras GRE 92 pt
- Toby Waggett GBR 177 pt
- Sinan Uslu TUR 192 pt
- Tiago Cheng de Villemor Salgado HKG 212 pt
- Leo Gosling SUI 213 pt
- Timothy Liu USA 243 pt
- Arel Hangul TUR 253 pt
- Davide Cafagna ITA 277 pt
A heartfelt congratulations goes out to every sailor who took part in this year’s ILCA 4 Youth World Championship.
The next chapter in the ILCA calendar awaits, with the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth World Championships just around the corner. Fair winds, and see you on the water!