ILCA 6 Youth World Championship 2026 in Aarhus - Day 4
by Agustín Argüelles 17 Aug 11:40 PDT
11-19 August 2026
ILCA 6 Youth World Championship in Aarhus Day 4 © Peter Brøgger / sejlsportsfoto.dk
The Final Series got under way at the 2026 ILCA 6 Youth World Championships on Monday, with two races completed for all fleets on Aarhus Bay. Both Delta flags were up by 10.00, allowing the sailors to head straight onto the water with gusty westerly winds ranging from 12 to 19 knots.
In the women's fleet, Greece's Hermionie Ghicas continued an impressive run by winning the first race of the Final Series. After also winning the last five races of the Qualifying Series, this made it her sixth win in a row.
Her winning streak ended in the second race, however, while Ireland's Sienna Wright took the first place. The two sailors are now separated by just one point, with Ghicas leading on 13 points and Wright following on 14.
New Zealand's Chloe Turner sits third overall on 30 points after finishing sixth and second in Monday's races, while Beata Dokoupilova of the Czech Republic and Israel's Gaya Datiashvili follow on 32 and 33 points.
The fight at the top also continued in the men's fleet, where Brazil's Erik Scheidt finished the day with a third place and a win to take the overall lead on 18 points - "It was a pretty good day for me. We had two good races with a lot of wind, and I think I am in the lead now. But there are still more races to go, so the key is to stay consistent," said Scheidt.
Behind him, Croatia's Toma Smircic is second with 23 points, while Turkey's Ali Özdemir is third with 25 points.
One of the biggest moves of the day came from Spain's Nikko Palou. A win in the opening race of the Final Series followed by a seventh place moved him from eighth to fourth overall, where he now has 28 points.
For Scheidt, the strong start to the Final Series comes after a summer spent racing and training across Europe in preparation for the championships - "This summer I stayed in Europe. I did Kiel Week, the European Championship in Thessaloniki, and then stayed in Lake Garda to train for this championship," he said.
With the championship entering its final stages, Scheidt is keeping his approach simple - "Try to stay in a good position without taking too many risks, and be strong physically and mentally".
With only one point separating the top two in the women's fleet and five points between first and second in the men's fleet, the fight for the world titles remains open as the Final Series continues on Tuesday with two races scheduled.