Kieler Woche 2026 - Day 9: Hungarians claim 15th FD Worlds title
by Kieler Woche 28 Jun 10:00 PDT
20-28 June 2026
Kieler Woche 2026 - Day 9 © Christian Beeck / Kieler Woche
Kieler Woche, held in the height of summer, concluded on Sunday (June 28) with the final sailing races in the international classes. Szabolcs Majthenyi and András Domokos from Hungary were crowned Flying Dutchman world champions - for the 15th time.
The Polish crew of Blanka Sójkowska and Julia Nagórska won the 29er World Championship dress rehearsal at the Eurocup.
Despite challenging conditions with light winds and lulls, a total of around 200 races were completed. Nearly 250 yachts had kicked off Kieler Woche nine days earlier with the Aalregatta to Eckernförde, before the Sailing Grand Slam crowned champions from six different nations in the Olympic disciplines. A visit from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lent the Kieler Woche regatta a touch of high-profile glamour at the start.
Competitors from 51 nations look back on a challenging light-wind regatta that spanned all nine days. Due to a pronounced high-pressure weather system, not all races had been able to take place even during the Olympic part of the Sailing Grand Slam. The final day of competition unfolded similarly following a nighttime passage of severe thunderstorms. Shifting winds led to several race cancellations and unsuccessful start attempts. "We can't control the wind and weather, we can only make the best of it," summarized Dirk Ramhorst, Head of Organization, "and that's what we did with maximum flexibility and starts even into the early evening hours."
At the FD World Championship, sailing did continue towards the end. However, no more races were completed. "At one point, half the field had BFDs," reported race director Stephan Giesen. However, the renewed attempt to complete a race on the course was unsuccessful. Consequently, the challenge by Kay-Uwe Lüdtke and Kai Schäfers (Germany) was nipped in the bud. The 2022 and 2024 title holders finished as runner-up world champions behind Nicola and Francesco Vespasiani of Italy.
The 29er Eurocup title goes to Poland. Showing nerves of steel, Blanka Sójkowska and Julia Nagórska sailed to second place in the final race, thereby eliminating the slip-up from the previous race (17th) from their overall score. Maximo Baudoino and Juan Ignacio Cernadas from Argentina won silver. It was a frustrating outcome for the Australians Mia Austin and Zara Marks: They squandered their chances of victory with two poor results and slipped to fourth place. Bronze instead went to the New Zealand crew of Nelsen Mecham and Oli Stone, who were tied on points. Everyone will meet again on Friday in Schilksee when the 29er World Championship opens.
There was a notable Brazilian success in the open ILCA-6 class. Erik Scheidt, son of five-time Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt, clinched the Kieler Woche victory in the end - despite finishing 28th - by one point ahead of Viktorija Andrulyte from Lithuania and two Swedes.
German Sebastian Schmidt-Klügmann emerged as the surprise winner of the Kieler Woche from the host country in the OK dinghy class, edging out Henrik Been of Sweden and Canada's Baabii'O Flower. Yannik Holste claimed a home victory at the German Open for wing foilers, as did Nikos Beckmann, who overtook his compatriot Quirin Klapper in the ILCA 4 on the final day.
In the J/70 class, the Danish team led by Kim Gardø Christensen remained at the top of the podium despite no races on Sunday; in the J/24 class, it was the Dutch sailor Dirk Olyslagers. Italian Marco Ferrari secured the Contender gold medal after just a single race. Max Billerbeck (Germany) fell back to third place behind multiple world champion Mark Bulka of Australia.
The Kieler Woche regatta also served as a showcase for Kiel's bid to host the sailing competitions as part of Germany's bid for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Olympics. High-profile guests from Germany and abroad - especially from the main regions vying to host the Olympics, Munich and Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr - attended Kieler Woche. "We've sparked enthusiasm for sailing and for Kiel-Schilksee," said Ramhorst, who also received a lot of positive feedback from the athletes for the organization's further improved service quality.
The event mile around the Schilksee Olympic Sailing Center was visited by around 100,000 guests, who gathered information and inspiration from the partners of Kieler Woche. A revamped supporting program in the Sailing Arena featured five days of live broadcasts on KielerWoche.TV, followed by entertainment in the form of interviews and insights shared via social media.
Full results can be found here.