iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships - Day 5
by iQFOiL Communications 23 Oct 08:01 PDT
18-25 October 2025
The much-anticipated Mistral made its grand entrance on Day Five of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships in Arzachena, Sardinia.
From the early hours, strong northwesterly winds swept across the bay, exceeding 18 knots by 9am and building throughout the day to gusts of 28 knots on the outer racecourse, Alpha.
Despite the challenging conditions, the Race Committee successfully completed a full program for all fleets by 2pm. The U19 Women and U17 Women completed four and three Course Races respectively (the fourth for the U17s was abandoned for the wind was now too strong), while the U19 Men and U17 Men each completed five Course Races on Alpha with a trapezoid course. Later in the day, the Silver Fleets took to the inside course, where the Women had raced earlier, but faced increasingly demanding wind and chop and eventually AP over A was displayed and everyone went back ashore.
U19 Women: Schleicher holds strong at the top
Emma Johanna Schleicher (GER) continues to lead the U19 Women's fleet with another solid performance, her worst result of the day a fifth, discarded in scoring. Medea Falcioni (ITA) remains in second overall but underperformed in the stronger breeze, unable to discard sixth and eighth place finishes due two OCS penalties in the previous days. Nurhayat Güven (TUR) maintains third, consistent in the top five throughout the day.
U19 Men: Rajuan takes the lead in a dramatic shift
In a major shake-up of the standings, Peleg Rajuan (ISR) climbed to the top of the U19 Men's leaderboard with a strong showing, three wins, a second, and a fifth (discarded). Artun Senol (TUR) sits close behind in second, showing remarkable consistency with top-two finishes across all five races. Former leader Mattia Saoncella (ITA), who had held the top spot since day one, slipped to third after struggling in the gustier conditions.
"It was a really good day with strong wind, my favorite conditions", said Peleg Rajuan. "I had great starts, strong upwinds, and solid technique throughout. I'm super excited to be in this position heading into the final day and I hope to keep the momentum going".
U17 Women: Le Borgne Zibetti extends her lead
Théa Le Borgne Zibetti (FRA) once again proved untouchable in the U17 Women's fleet, extending her lead over Naama Palatnik (ISR) to 15 points. Ruya Ugurlu (TUR) holds third, with the top trio now well clear of the rest of the fleet, a testament to the sharp progression curve facing younger sailors in the coming years.
U17 Men
The battle between the Dutch duo intensified under the Mistral. Finn Brüll (NED) delivered a stellar performance, winning three of five races, adding a second, and discarding a 33rd to overtake his teammate Merlijn Boswijk (NED) by five points. While Boswijk remained consistent, Brüll's stronger finishes gave him the provisional lead heading into the final day. František Burda (CZE) remains third, 14 points behind.
"It was an amazing day with strong winds, just the kind of conditions I love," said Finn Brüll. "We had five solid course races, and I was really happy with my performance despite a minor elbow injury. The lighter winds at the start of the week weren't ideal for me, but now that the breeze has picked up, I'm feeling strong and excited for what's ahead".
Looking ahead
The Mistral is expected to continue blowing into tomorrow morning before easing in the afternoon. The last day of the Championship will feature the Gold Fleets for both Men and Women, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships 2025.