Italian Sailing Sensations Launch Into the Lead at the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships, Portugal

The wind-filled expanses of Vilamoura in Portugal set the stage for the intense opening day of the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships. Italy emerged as the star of the day, with the Nations Trophy winners spearheading three out of the five possible events. Alessandro Cirinei and Marina Murri clinched the first-day podium, winning male and female ILCA 6 races, while Giuseppe Montesano and Enrico Coslevich claimed an early lead in the intense male/mixed 29er.

Ukraine’s Sviatoslav Madonich and Dmytro Karabadzhak made a mark, heading the male/mixed 420 after the inaugural race. However, it was the French pair, Marius Praud and Emilie Mansouri, who stirred the waters and set the bar high in the Nacra 15 standings after two high-octane races.

Amid the initial drama, Praud and Mansouri emerged as early leaders after a third-place finish backed up their opening race victory. The two didn’t just overcome obstacles, they made the waves bow. A ton of experience and a dash of luck saw them holding silver behind Lorenzo Sirena and Alice Dessy in the World Championships this year.

The Italian duos Giuseppe Montesano and Enrico Coslevich carved out a slender lead in the male/mixed 29er class, a thrilling revelation following their seventh-place finish in the first-run, recovered from a 20th place halfway through.

In the male/mixed 420 category, it was the Ukrainian pairing of Sviatoslav Madonich and Dmytro Karabadzhak that set the pace, leading right from the start. The first day served as a testament to the festive spirit and the unbeatable enthusiasm of the participants, and they wait in anticipation for the coming episodes of the championship.