2026 ILCA 7 Men's World Championship at Dún Laoghaire, Ireland - Day 5
by Agustín Argüelles 29 Aug 22:24 PDT
23-30 August 2026
2026 ILCA 7 Men's World Championship in Dublin Bay Day 5 © Jordan Roberts / Down Under Sail
The Elimination Series concluded on Saturday at the 2026 ILCA 7 Men's World Championship after eleven races for the top ten sailors, who will compete for the medals tomorrow in the Final Series. The rest of the fleet will sail one more Elimination Series race tomorrow morning.
Racing was delayed by 3 hours and 15 minutes on shore due to a lack of wind, with the first warning signal eventually going out at 15:20. Once under way, the breeze remained unstable throughout both races, ranging from 6 to 9 knots over flat water, under a cloudy sky with some rain.
The standings at the top were shaken up on this final day of qualifying. Elliot Hanson GBR, with a 4-7, takes over as the new leader on 62 points. Overnight leader Ryan Lo SGP, with a (30)-13, drops to second on 64 points, just ahead of Michael Beckett GBR, third with 19-(26.4 SCP30) for 72 points. Tonci Stipanovic CRO sits fourth on 76 points after a 21-4.
Elliot Hanson GBR was understandably pleased to top the leaderboard heading into the final day:
"It's obviously not every day you're leading going into the final day of a World Championship — that's awesome. It's the first day I've strung together a full good day, rather than one good and one bad, so I'm pleased to execute on the final day of qualification."
Tonci Stipanovic CRO was thrilled to be back among the top ten:
"It's so great to be back in the top ten in the world after the last couple of years. So nice to be back with these guys, fighting for a medal tomorrow, and I'm really excited about it."
Asked whether ILCA is the best dinghy class in the world, he didn't hesitate:
"Definitely, definitely it is. This final group, all the guys are pumped — it's crazy. To do good races, you really need to push; there's no room to go easy. I realised that yesterday — it was a really tough day. I was maybe thinking it would be easy in some way, but it was really hard."
Jonatán Vadnai HUN slipped to fifth with (40)-26 for 83 points, level with sixth-placed Finley Dickinson GBR, who scored 8-18 for the same total. Lorenzo Chiavarini ITA is seventh on 86 points with a 25-1, while Nicholas Halliday HKG sits eighth on 88 points after 22-(36). Matt Wearn AUS climbed to ninth on 89 points with a 3-15, and Finn Lynch IRL rounds out the top ten on 90 points after a 6-2.
Finn Lynch IRL was pleased to have secured his spot in the top ten:
"Obviously great to be in that final day. Feeling really good today — I sailed very, very well. I was over in the first race and came back to sixth, and then second in the second race, so I did exactly what I needed to do to get back into the top ten. Now it's the finals tomorrow, which is great, and all the points are halved, so everything's still open, even though I came in tenth."
Final Series: Points Reset
For this Championship, all points will be halved heading into the Final races, keeping the title race tighter and giving more sailors a realistic shot at gold. Here's how the top ten's points convert:
- Elliot Hanson GBR - 31pts
- Ryan Lo SGP - 32pts
- Michael Beckett GBR - 36pts
- Tonci Stipanovic CRO - 38pts
- Jonatán Vadnai HUN - 42pts
- Finley Dickinson GBR - 42pts
- Lorenzo Chiavarini ITA - 43pts
- Nicholas Halliday HKG - 44pts
- Matt Wearn AUS - 45pts
- Finn Lynch IRL - 45pts
These ten sailors will contest two Final Series races on Sunday to decide the World Champion, while the rest of the fleet sails a final Elimination Series race earlier in the day, with the first warning signal at 11:00, before the Final Series gets under way with a first possible warning signal at 13:00.
The Final Series races will be broadcast live on ILCA's YouTube channel, with the transmission starting at 12:45. You can also follow all the racing through the Tracking, and via Reels and Stories on our social media — check the "How to Follow" section below for all the links.
The event is organised by the National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club, in conjunction with ILCA. It is supported by premium sponsors Sport Ireland and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and associate sponsors Rooster, The Royal Marine Hotel, XOCEAN, and KPMG.
Find out more on the event website, 2026ilca7men.ilca-worlds.org