The iQFOiL Class opens their 2025 season with the first iQFOiL International Games of the new Olympic cycle at Marina Rubicón, Lanzarote.
Racing will take place from Tuesday 28 January to 2 February and will see a strong showing by 13 British Sailing Team members.
In the men’s fleet, eight competitors from the Paris 2024 Olympics will be on the start line, led by former Olympic champion Kiran Badloe (NED), with 2024 World Champion Nicolo Renna (ITA), European Champion Pawel Tarnowski (POL), and U23 World Champion Finn Hawkins (GBR) promising tight competition.
The women’s fleet will have Olympic champion Marta Maggetti (ITA) and Paris 2024 bronze medalist Emma Wilson (GBR) headlining the action. Rising stars such as Darcey Shaw (GBR), U19 World Champion, and Shahar Tibi (ISR), 2023 World Champion, will also be vying for glory.
GBR Entries:
Women
Islay Watson
Alice Read
Darcey Shaw
Lucy Kenyon
Jennie Roberts
Emma Wilson
Men
Duncan Monaghan
Finn Hawkins
Boris Shaw
Andy Brown
Will Ziegler
Max Beaman
Matthew Barton
This year the iQFOiL Class will see the introduction of updated equipment and a new medal series format that introduces several significant updates to enhance fairness and excitement.
- Men will now race with 8m² sails
- Women will compete with newly designed 7.3m² sails.
There is also a revamped Medal Race Format which aims to reward consistency and elevate the level of competition for all participants.
In this revamped structure, only the top 8 athletes from the Opening Series will advance to the medal series, compared to the previous 10.
The knockout system remains in place for the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals, with athletes ranked 8th to 5th starting in the Quarter-Finals and the top 2 advancing to join the 3rd and 4th ranked athletes in the Semi-Finals.
From there, two more will move on to the Grand Final, which now features 4 athletes instead of 3.
Notably, the top 2 athletes from the Opening Series automatically qualify for the Grand Final, with the Opening Series leader carrying forward 1 win, giving them an advantage.
The ultimate champion will be crowned in the Grand Final based on the number of wins, with the first athlete to achieve two victories securing the title.