May Medal Month: Team Allianz Competing in Eight Major Championships Across Two Weeks
by Simon Keijzer 11 May 01:31 PDT
9-22 May 2026
Team Allianz at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca - Odile van Aanholt and Karlinde van Arendonk © Sailing Energy
Between May 9 and 22, Dutch sailors, windsurfers and kitefoilers will compete in five World Championships and four European Championships across Europe. It marks a unique period in which Team Allianz will battle for titles in almost all Olympic disciplines simultaneously.
These championships do not yet count toward qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but they are the final major international benchmarks before the official qualification process begins. More details about the qualification criteria are expected in June.
Schedule: Eight Championships in Two Weeks
- Formula Kite World Championships (men & women), Viana do Castelo, Portugal, May 9-16
- 49er, 49erFX & Nacra 17 World Championships, Quiberon, France, May 11-17
- IQFoil European Championships (men & women),Portimão, Portugal, May 13-20
- ILCA 6 & ILCA 7 European Championships, Kaštela, Croatia, May 15-22
Final Benchmark on the Road to LA28
For Team Allianz, these events are more than standalone regattas. They are a test of the entire high-performance programme heading toward Los Angeles.
After a winter focused on training and development, the emphasis now shifts to delivering results under pressure, in changing conditions, against the world's best athletes, with some 800 days remaining until the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In sailing and foiling sports, understanding competition venues is crucial. Kitefoil coach Casper Bouman explains why the team has been training extensively on location:
"These are the moments where everything comes together. You learn how to deal with conditions you simply cannot simulate, but which can determine the outcome."
Four Venues, Four Different Challenges
Each championship takes place on a completely different playing field:
- In Viana do Castelo, kitefoilers face raw speed and control in demanding Atlantic conditions.
- Quiberon, on the Breton coast, tests teamwork and decision-making under the influence of wind and currents for the skiff sailors and Nacra 17 crews.
- In Portimão, the focus is on physical endurance and consistency over several days for the foiling windsurfers.
- Meanwhile, Kaštela in Croatia is all about precision racing in massive ILCA fleets.
Stronger Together — #DestinationLA28
Although medals are won individually, the foundation lies in Team Allianz's collective approach. Knowledge sharing, joint training blocks and collaboration between disciplines are central to this Olympic cycle.
Head coach Aaron McIntosh reflected on the unique dynamics of this championship-heavy month:
"This month is quite unique for us. We have athletes competing simultaneously at five World Championships and four European Championships, across different disciplines and locations. That means we have to peak as a team while being physically spread across Europe."
"We are one team, but every athlete and programme operates autonomously. The athlete comes first, programmes are coach-driven and ultimately always tailor-made. The route to success can differ per discipline and per athlete — and there must be room for that."
"Where we truly strengthen each other is in the process. We share knowledge between disciplines, challenge one another and learn from each other's experiences. That cross-pollination helps the entire team progress faster, even when we are competing in different places."
"We have a relatively compact but highly motivated squad, with a strong mix of experience and talent. Our ambition is clear: to consistently rank among the world's top three sailing nations. This month shows where we currently stand — and where we still need to accelerate on the road to Los Angeles 2028."
Team Allianz line up
Worlds Kitefoil Formula Kite M/V
Jessie Kampman
Sam Aben
Tijn Rolff
Duuc van Hees
Coach Casper Bouman assistent coach Paul Hameeteman
Worlds Skiff men- 49er
Bart Lambriex & Floris van de Werken
Coach Jaap Zielhuis
Robert Huisman & Jorn Swart
Wiebrand de Vos & Stijn Gast
Thomas Schouten & Mart Kegel
Coach Daniel Bramervaer
Worlds Skiff women 49er FX
Odile van Aanholt & Karlinde van Arendonk
Vera ter Horst & Marissa IJben
Coach Kaj Böcker & Pim van Vugt
Worlds Mixed Multihull Nacra17
Willemijn Offerman & Scipio Houtman
Bjarne Bouwer & Jorien Hin
Coach Coen de Koning
Euros Open dinghy women ILCA 6
Maxime Jonker
Roos Wind
Hieke Schraffordt
Feline van Ede
Coach Marc de Haas & Sietse-Jan Sietzema
Euros Open Dinghy men ILCA 7
Duko Bos
Willem Wiersema
Hidde Schraffordt
Lars Jansen
Stijn van der Valk
Thomas van Ofwegen
Coaches: Yuri Hummel & Toma Visic (CRO)
Euros Windsurfen men IQFoil
Luuc van Opzeeland
Joost Vink
Coach Ricardo Belli
Kiran Badloe
Coach Ivan Pastor
Max Castelein
Hidde van der Meer
Coach Matthieu Koops
Euros Windsurfen women IQFoil
Sara Wennekes
Coach Maciej Kluszczynski
Sam Aben - From rehabilitation back to reality
For kitefoiler Sam Aben, this month carries extra significance. His first major championship since injury is about to begin.
"This is my first major event after my injury. In everything around it, we've made steps — physically and mentally. Now you hope it all comes together on the water."
His preparation looked different than usual, with a strong emphasis on simulation and analysis.
"We spent a lot of time in the simulator. That's where you train the exact situations that matter most: making decisions under pressure. I'm curious to see how that translates now."
At the same time, he remains realistic:
"Top eight is the goal, but honestly, I can also be satisfied with a top twenty finish when I look at where I'm coming from."
Jessie Kampman - Defending — or winning — a second world title?
For Jessie Kampman, the World Championship is about confirming what she already showed earlier this season: that her form is world-class. The reigning world champion opened the year strongly with a second-place finish at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía in Palma de Mallorca and deliberately chose her own route in preparation.
While part of the fleet competed in Hyères, Kampman trained in Portugal under conditions closely matching the expected World Championship profile.
"Over the past few days, I've spent many hours on the water there in really beautiful conditions," Kampman says. "There was a solid swell, which I love, and that made the training not only effective but also genuinely fun. These are conditions you don't often get during competitions, so I'm really looking forward to racing in them."
With confidence gained in Palma and a focused preparation behind her, Kampman is aiming to defend her title.
"My season started strongly and I've already ticked off several goals I set beforehand. I want to continue that momentum into the World Championship and go all in for a second world title."
Odile van Aanholt- This World Championship is less a final destination and more a benchmark
With Olympic gold already in her pocket, Odile van Aanholt finds herself in an entirely new phase of her elite sports career. In Quiberon, Brittany, she begins the 49erFX World Championship with a different crew partner: Karlinde van Ardendonk.
The change is part of the search for the ideal helm-and-crew combination on the road to Los Angeles 2028. That context makes this championship less an endpoint and more a moment of evaluation.
"Quiberon is a new venue for me in the 49erFX, but it feels surprisingly familiar," says Van Aanholt. "It reminds me a bit of Medemblik: short waves, lots of wind shifts — really the kind of water we feel at home on."
The partnership with Van Ardendonk is still developing. During the previous major regatta, Van Aanholt sailed with Marissa IJben, the other and final remaining candidate from the selection process.
There are not yet deeply ingrained routines or automatic reactions in every condition.
"We're going into this with good energy, but also with an open mindset. We don't yet know exactly where we stand together at this level, and that's okay. But it's still a World Championship, so of course we're going all in."
That grounded approach fits the phase Van Aanholt is currently in. After years of stability and success, this is a period of recalibration and rebuilding.
"Right now it's mainly about the process. If we get conditions we already know together, it immediately feels good. And if not, then the key is staying calm and focusing on what we can control."
One major focus point is the start. The 49er class now uses a new onboard device called Vakaros, which immediately indicates whether you crossed the line too early.
"With the new system, you can start more aggressively because you can correct faster if you're early. That requires a different mindset. Exciting, but also a real opportunity to make progress there."
Floris van de Werken - Average result of 1.4 over the last five World Championships
"We know Quiberon well. Over the past weeks we've trained there intensively with a new boat. The speed is good and we're happy with where we are.
We especially improved our starts. That was still a point of attention in Palma, but it's looking much better now. Over the next few days we'll fine-tune the handling to make sure we're razor-sharp at the start line.
The conditions here are interesting: often offshore winds, but we've also trained extensively in onshore conditions similar to the IJsselmeer, which suits us well.
We've performed consistently over the last five World Championships with an average ranking of 1.4. We want to continue that trend here. The confidence is there and, above all, we're really excited to race."
Willemijn Offerman — Mixed Multihull Nacra 17
"It always feels special to compete at a World Championship, especially in such a strong fleet. Last year we became European champions and finished third at the Worlds, so we know we can compete at the front. At the same time, the level in the class has become even closer after the Games, making it more competitive than ever.
More than anything, we're incredibly excited to get started again. Scipio is already on his way to Quiberon and I'll travel there tomorrow. A championship like this remains something special — the moment where everything comes together.
In preparation, we focused heavily on our starts. That was an important point last year and we've made clear progress there. We want to continue that momentum here.
With the new format, it often stays exciting until the final day because the differences are so small. That demands consistency and sharpness all the way to the end.
Quiberon offers a wide variety of conditions, so adaptability will be crucial. We're confident about where we stand and mostly just really looking forward to racing here."
Jorien Hin & Bjarne Bouwer — Nacra 17 - Taking major steps at the World Championship
"Yesterday we arrived in Quiberon, a beautiful peninsula at the westernmost point of France. It's an ideal location for the Nacra 17: often flat water, offshore winds and therefore high speeds. That immediately makes it a fair but technically demanding championship.
We sailed two regattas this spring where we clearly showed progress. We want to continue that line here. There are still plenty of areas to improve, but things are increasingly falling into place.
Our focus is mainly on the process. After a winter of hard training, we want to show what we're capable of. If we perform at our level, the results will follow naturally.
As a team, we're making big steps and you can feel that in everything: confidence, cooperation and the speed at which we're learning. That's hugely motivating. We're not here just to participate, but to keep growing toward the top. Our ambition is to qualify for the medal race with a top ten position."
Kiran Badloe - Getting fit again, getting fast again
"Around Palma I was obviously really sick and lost a lot of weight. After that it was all about building myself back up and just taking it day by day. The weight is slowly coming back, my form is gradually improving again, and above all I'm just really excited to race again.
I haven't sailed or raced for a long time. So maybe I'll be a bit rusty at first, but mostly I'm looking forward to blasting around the course with those guys again. Let's see if I can outsmart them here and there with some experience from that deep backpack we carry with us."
Coach Iván Pastor:
"The past six weeks have really been a rollercoaster," says Pastor. "Kiran got sick just before Palma, so obviously that was far from ideal. We consciously decided to skip Palma, go back home and focus entirely on recovery first."
According to Pastor, the first phase was all about rest, health and regaining confidence.
"I'm really proud of how Kiran handled that. Together with the whole Dutch team, we made sure he could recover quickly and get fit again."
After that came an adapted preparation towards the European Championship in Portugal.
"After Palma, Kiran first spent a week at my home in Santa Pola, Spain. That was the perfect intermediate step before we went to Portimão two and a half weeks ago for the final preparation for the Europeans."
The return to top form happened step by step.
"Our goal was simple: first get healthy again, then get fit, and then regain speed with the equipment. And we've achieved that. We feel ready."
After a few rest days, the focus is now fully on the battle for the European title.
"We are ready for the battle."
Luuc van Opzeeland - "I'm competing for medals"
Luuc van Opzeeland is looking ahead with confidence to the IQFoil European Championship in Portugal. Over the past ten days in Portimão, the Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist prepared for the event under conditions that clearly suit him.
"This year's Europeans are in Portimão and the first impression is really positive," says Van Opzeeland. "It's a beautiful location and we've already had plenty of wind so far. Those are obviously ideal conditions for training and racing."
Although the Europeans are not marked as the absolute peak event of his season, his ambition remains unchanged.
"As always, I'm competing for medals," he says matter-of-factly. "It actually feels more like the conclusion of the pre-season. The past months have been fully focused on building up, putting in lots of training hours and increasing the workload intelligently."
With Los Angeles 2028 on the horizon, the emphasis is now on fine-tuning.
"Now it's about putting the finishing touches in place and hopefully delivering when it really counts on May 18."
The signs are positive.
"Sportively and technically, everything is moving in the right direction. I feel fit, strong and comfortable on the equipment. That gives confidence this can become a really good week."
Maxime Jonker - Working on race goals
Maxime Jonker heads to the ILCA 6 European Championship in Croatia with confidence. After strong regattas in Palma de Mallorca and Hyères — both resulting in top ten finishes — the Dutch sailor wants to continue that upward trend at the Europeans.
"The Europeans are in Kaštela, near Split. I've sailed there before, mostly at youth events. That was a while ago, but we still know the venue a little," says Jonker.
Together with her team, she made a conscious decision in preparation.
"This time we're going to the venue a bit later because we already sailed two important regattas in the lead-up. During those events we worked very specifically on certain race goals."
According to Jonker, that meant slightly compromising on the traditional preparation — but for a clear reason.
"Maybe you lose a little in terms of preparation time on location, but on the other hand a lot of really positive things came out of it. I'm excited to apply that next week and just go racing."
Duko Bos - "I want to show what I'm capable of at the Europeans"
Duko Bos is approaching the ILCA 7 European Championship in Split with fresh energy. The Dutch sailor already spent the past weeks training extensively on location and wants to bounce back strongly after a disappointing result in Palma.
"We've already trained in Split for the past two weeks, explored the conditions, and it's really a beautiful place," says Bos. "I actually sailed a World Championship there nine years ago, so it also brought back some memories."
Still, he expects very different conditions this time.
"It's obviously a different time of year now, so we expect more sea breeze. That creates a completely different challenge."
Bos feels positive about the preparation.
"The training camp went well. We've worked really hard over the last period. Now it's mainly about getting enough rest and making sure I arrive at the start fully recovered."
After a disappointing regatta in Palma, the focus is now on recovery — and redemption.
"In Split I really want to show what I can do and see where I stand compared to the top."