New Zealand named top 29er nation as Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley win U19 title

Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins - 29er World Championship - Kiel, Germany. Thursday July 9, 2026 © Sander van der Borch

New Zealand has produced a new U-19 womens world champion crew and been crowned the world's top 29er nation after a landmark performance at the 29er World Championships in Kiel, Germany, on Friday.

Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley claimed the Female Under-19 World Championship title, while also securing silver in the overall female division, to spearhead New Zealand's triumph in the coveted Nations Cup.

Awarded to the highest-performing nation across the championship, the Nations Cup capped a remarkable week for the five-strong Kiwi team, which achieved the rare feat of qualifying all five crews for the gold fleet — reserved for the top 50 boats after qualifying — from a fleet of nearly 300 entries representing dozens of countries.

Three New Zealand crews also finished inside the overall top 10, with Nelsen Meacham and Oli Stone placing fourth, Matteo Barker and Leo Brown seventh, and Blake Batten and Hugo Smith 10th.

The 29er is one of the world's most competitive youth classes and the recognised pathway into the Olympic 49er and 49erFX. It has produced many of New Zealand's top Olympic sailors, including Blair Tuke and Alex Maloney.

For Jenkins and Handley, the title marked the culmination of months of hard work and a rapid rise on the international stage.

After finishing 13th at last year's Youth Sailing World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, the pair returned to Europe this season determined to take another step forward — and delivered a consistently outstanding regatta.

"It's an incredible feeling to help the team win the Nations Cup, but being second female overall and winning the under-19 title makes it even more special," Jenkins said.

"We don't have big fleets back home, so being able to race against 50 boats in the gold fleet and perform like we did shows we can compete at the highest level.

"We had really shifty conditions throughout the regatta, but we managed to stay consistent and had a really strong qualifying series, which set us up well for the finals."

Handley said a medal had seemed unlikely at the beginning of the championship.

"We didn't think we'd be on the podium until the start of the gold fleet series, when we realised we were one of only three female teams to qualify," she said.

"What makes this even more special is that Bella and I were in the bronze fleet at our last major international regatta. To come here, make gold fleet and then win a medal is an incredible feeling.

"It reflects all the hard training we've done this year and the incredible support we've had from our friends, family, teammates, coaches and Yachting New Zealand."

Elsewhere in the championship, Meacham and Stone finished 18 points shy of overall third place after recording seven top-four results during qualifying and backing that up with a strong gold fleet campaign. They traded the honour of leading Kiwi crew throughout the regatta with Barker and Brown.

Batten and Smith rounded out New Zealand's outstanding week, securing 10th overall and giving the country three crews inside the top 10.

Meanwhile, Ewan Brazle and Toby Clark narrowly missed out on another medal, finishing fourth in the under-17 division — just six points behind Hong Kong's Ethan Kiu and Louis Polson — while placing 29th overall.

Geoff Woolley, Yachting New Zealand's Talent Development Manager, said Jenkins and Handley's success is reward for months of dedication from both the sailors and the wider squad.

"Bella and Jess becoming under-19 world champions is a significant achievement, and we're incredibly proud of them," Woolley said.

"They've shown remarkable consistency and dedication, working incredibly hard over the past 18 months.

"Congratulations also to the New Zealand squad for winning the Nations Cup. The way this group has trained together and pushed each other is really paying off, and everyone involved should be extremely proud of what they've achieved.

"A special congratulations also goes to coach Campbell Stanton, who has worked with the squad throughout the season and at these events, and to the sailors' parents and support network, without whom this would not be possible.

"We're excited to see this group build on the momentum they've created."

Jenkins and Handley will now turn their attention to September's New Zealand Youth Team Trials, where they hope to gain selection for the Youth Sailing World Championships in Vilamoura in December.

"Our big goal this year is to perform even better at the Youth Worlds," Handley said. "After that we want to transition into an Olympic class. It's our dream to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games one day and, hopefully, win an Olympic medal."

Final results and standings click here