NZL Sailing Team: Young Kiwis pull off dramatic comeback to claim 49er world title

2026 49er, 49erFX & Nacra 17 Worlds at Quiberon © Sailing Energy

New Zealand's Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have become the youngest 49er world champions in history after producing a nerve-shredding comeback to win the world title overnight in Quiberon, France (NZ time).

The 21-year-old duo added the world crown to the European title they claimed in Greece last year, striking gold in a dramatic final race at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships.

Competing in just their second world championships together, Menzies and Lee Rush entered the new-look two-race medal series atop the standings with a slender two-point lead over Australians Harry Price and Max Paul, while Germany’s Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger sat a further point back.

The opening medal race could hardly have gone better for the Kiwis. After tacking to port shortly after the start to find clear air, they rounded the top mark in front and steadily extended their advantage to claim victory ahead of Dutch veterans and multiple world champions Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken.

With the Australians finishing seventh, Menzies and Lee Rush carried a five-point overall lead over the Germans into the deciding race, while the Dutch trailed by seven points.

That cushion meant a fifth-place finish would secure the title — but the final race immediately descended into chaos for the New Zealanders when they were penalised for crossing the start line early and forced to restart.

Suddenly buried near the back of the 10-boat fleet in light, shifty conditions, the Kiwis faced an anxious fightback as crews from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Poland all threatened to snatch the title.

Menzies and Lee Rush clawed their way back to fifth at the top mark before slipping to ninth after a difficult windward leg heading into the final downwind sprint.

Then came the decisive moment.

The New Zealanders opted for an aggressive gybe-set manoeuvre at the final mark, immediately breaking away from the fleet rather than taking the conventional route downwind. The gamble paid off spectacularly as they found stronger pressure and surged through the field.

They crossed the line in fifth — behind Polish crews Dominik Buksak and Mateusz Gwozdz, and Mikolaj Staniul and Jakub Sztorch, Austria’s Keanu Prettner and Jakob Flachberger, and Lambriex and van de Werken — clinching the world title by the narrowest of margins in one of the most dramatic finishes the class has seen in years.

"I don’t really have the words," Menzies said afterwards. "It's an amazing feeling. The final race was incredibly stressful, but we managed to fight our way back and stay in touch when it mattered."

Lee Rush said the pair never panicked despite the disastrous start.

"We knew everything was still incredibly close, so the key was just staying calm and keeping ourselves in the race," he said. "There were moments where the Germans had us, then the Dutch got close, and the Austrians came charging through late. We just kept our heads down and gave ourselves a chance."

The pair only realised they had secured gold in the closing moments of the race.

"We left it until the very last minute," Lee Rush said. "That final gybe set away from the fleet made the difference, but even halfway down the last run, we still weren’t counting anything.

"I actually said to Seb, 'Just make sure we don’t fall out [of the boat] or do anything stupid now!' We didn't know we'd won until we crossed the line."

Above: Menzies and Lee Rush claimed the gold medal following a remarkable comeback in the final race. Photo / Sailing Energy

The triumph was made even more remarkable by the fact that Quiberon was the pair’s first international regatta of the season after sitting out the opening European events while Menzies trained with Emirates Team New Zealand for the next America’s Cup campaign.

"We'd done a huge amount of work back home, especially on our speed in stronger winds," Lee Rush said. "We weren’t completely sure where we'd stack up after so long away from international racing, so to come here and perform like this is pretty special."

The victory caps a stellar 12 months for the young crew and underlines their credentials as genuine contenders for New Zealand selection for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Earlier this year, they dominated the 49er fleet at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, defending their title by more than 30 points against a field that included several Paris Olympians.

Their rise began with a European Championship triumph in Thessaloniki last June before they backed it up with a gold fleet appearance at the world championships in Cagliari.

Menzies admitted their 22nd-place finish at those worlds had fuelled much of their improvement since.

"We really struggled in the stronger conditions there, so that became a major focus for us over the summer," Menzies said. "To come here in a slightly windier week and put together consistent racing is hugely satisfying."

Lee Rush described the world title as the biggest achievement of their partnership so far.

"The Europeans were amazing, but those were very specific conditions, and a few top teams were missing," he said. "This week we had pretty much everyone here, a full range of conditions and a long, tough regatta. To come through that gives us a lot of confidence that we can compete with the very best."

The result continues New Zealand’s remarkable pedigree in the 49er class. It is the country's first world title in the event since Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won in Geelong in 2020.

New Zealand crews have now claimed Olympic medals in the class at four consecutive Games, including Burling and Tuke’s gold at Tokyo 2020 and Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie’s silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Menzies was also quick to acknowledge the wider Kiwi squad, including compatriots Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, who played an indirect role in helping the eventual champions secure top seeding for the medal series by winning the final elimination race.

Coutts and Gunn eventually finished 20th overall, while Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan, and Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren, competed in the silver fleet.

"We owe a huge thanks to our families watching back home, the other Kiwi crews we train with, our coaches Matty Steven and Logan Dunning-Beck, and Yachting New Zealand," Menzies said.

The battle for Olympic selection among the Kiwi crews remains fierce despite the world title success, Lee Rush said.

"It [the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics] definitely feels a bit closer after this, but there’s still a massive amount of work to do. All of the New Zealand 49er crews have grown up sailing together and pushing each other. This is a result for the whole squad as much as for us. It shows New Zealand has the depth to compete with the best in the world."

Final results and standings from the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships 49er.org/events/2026-world-championship/#result-49 Click here to watch the racing live www.youtube.com/@49ersailing