Nacra 17 Junior and Rookie Teams of the Year 2025
by Alexia Lahoud 29 Dec 2025 16:45 PST
Brin Liddell & Rhiannan Brown (AUS) - 2025 49er, Fx, Nacra 17 Worlds, Cagliari - 09 October, 2025 © Sailing Energy
Nacra 17 Junior Team of the Year 2025 - Brin Liddell & Rhiannan Brown (AUS)
As the 2025 season comes to a close, the Nacra 17 class is taking a moment to recognise the young and new teams who have made their mark over the past twelve months. Among them, Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown stand out as the Nacra 17 Junior Team of the Year 2025, following a breakthrough season capped by a fourth-place finish at the World Championships in Sardinia.
The World Championships brought a full range of conditions, and the Australian duo proved competitive throughout the week, racing consistently at the front of the fleet and staying in the hunt until the final day. Their 4th place overall marked a clear step forward after finishes of 20th, 19th and 18th at previous World Championships.
"That's our best result at a Worlds," said Brown. "We've gone from 20th, then 19th and 18th, and now to fourth. It's a pretty clear progression, and hopefully we can keep building from here."
The improvement reflects the work Liddell and Brown have put in since the end of the last Olympic cycle. While many teams stepped back after Paris 2024, the Australians kept training and racing, focusing on time in the boat and building consistency.
"We didn't really take our foot off the pedal after the Olympics," explained Liddell. "We've probably done more hours on the water than most of the other returning combinations, and that's made a big difference this year."
Liddell also pointed to the strength of the wider Australian squad, with multiple teams recording personal best results in Sardinia. "A big shout out to the other two Aussie teams as well — Archie and Sarah, and Jake and Niamh. Both had their best Worlds so far, which shows the depth we're building."
Rookie Team of the Year 2025 - Federico Figlia Di Granara and Caterina Sedmak
Alongside the Junior Team award, the class also recognises Federico Figlia Di Granara and Caterina Sedmak (ITA) as Nacra 17 Rookie Team of the Year 2025, after a rapid rise during their first season in the class.
Both sailors only joined the Nacra 17 in 2025 — Federico in January and Caterina in March — and began training together in May.
"We both started this year, and then began sailing together in May," said Federico. "Our first regatta as a team was the 2025 European Championship in Thessaloniki, and our second was the World Championship in Cagliari."
Despite limited time together, the Italian pair finished 12th at their first World Championship, wining bronze in the Under 24 Junior World Championship and claimed the Junior European Championship title in Sicily later in the season, winning nearly every race in their fleet.
As 2025 draws to a close, performances like these highlight the strength of the next generation coming through the Nacra 17 class. With new teams stepping up and young sailors delivering consistent results at major events, the foundations for the next Olympic cycles are already taking shape.