Sport | Posted on April 7th, 2025 | return to news
Dorset sailors top the medal table at Spanish sailing regatta
Olympic windsurfer Emma Wilson won gold at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, an annual sailing regatta in Palma de Mallorca.
The British Sailing Team, which includes several athletes from Dorset, dominated the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, an annual sailing regatta in Palma de Mallorca that took place from 28 March to 5 April. The team took home a massive nine-medal haul, including five golds – the best in the event’s history.
The regatta is the first qualifying event for the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam (SGS) and signals the start of the new Olympic cycle for 10 sailing disciplines in the buildup to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Emma Wilson, from Christchurch, not only won gold in the iQFOiL windsurfing class, but also was awarded the regatta’s top prize – the Princess Sofia Trophy – after she won 14 out of 21 races.
She said: “It’s crazy – I wasn’t expecting it at all. There are names on this trophy like Ben Ainslie, people I’ve looked up to since I was a kid. To have my name on there now is pretty cool.”
Saskia Tidey, from Portland, won gold in the two-person 49erFX along with Freya Black.
In the kite surfing competition, Weymouth’s Lilly Young won silver, while Poole’s Ellie Aldrige (who won gold in last year’s Paris Olympics), took home bronze.
In total, the team won five gold medals, two silver and two bronze. The colossal medal haul put Great Britain firmly at the top of the medal table, with Australia’s two golds putting them in second ahead of China with one gold, one silver and one bronze. It’s thought the results are the best ever by any nation in the 54-year history of the regatta.
Mark Robinson, RYA performance director, said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the team’s performances this week.
“To finish the regatta with nine medals including five golds is a real statement of intent as we look towards LA 2028.
“It’s no secret that we didn’t reach our full potential in Marseille last summer, but if this week is anything to go by the future is bright for the British Sailing Team.”
The team will now turn its attention to the Semaine Olymique Francaise in Hyeres, France, the second round of the newly formed Sailing Grand Slam, later this month.
Medallists:
- Emma Wilson, 25, Christchurch, Dorset: gold, iQFOiL
- Saskia Tidey, 31, Portland, Dorset: gold, 49erFX
- Freya Black, 23, Goudhurst, Kent: gold, 49erFX
- Martin Wrigley, 28, Hereford: gold, 470
- Bettine Harris, 22, Axbridge, Somerset: gold, 470
- Micky Beckett, 30, Solva, Pembrokeshire: gold, ILCA 7
- John Gimson, 42, Congleton, Cheshire: gold, Nacra 17
- Anna Burnet, 32, Shandon, Scotland: gold, Nacra 17
- Lily Young, 26, Weymouth, Dorset: silver, Formula Kite
- Elliot Hanson, 31, Macclesfield, Cheshire: silver, ILCA 7
- Ellie Aldridge, 28, Poole, Dorset: bronze, Formula Kite
- Daisy Collingridge, 25, London: bronze, ILCA 6
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