Aussie PBs in France
Australian crews have achieved breakthrough results at 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Worlds.
Photography by Sailing Energy
18 May 2026
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The 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships concluded in Quiberon, France, with the regatta delivering everything from marginal winds and shifty conditions to brutal survival racing, testing the world’s best Olympic sailors across an intense week of competition.
After an exceptional week of racing, Australian 49er crew Harry Price and Max Paul entered the final day in medal contention, sitting second overall heading into the decisive stages of the regatta.
In a dramatic Finals Day, a compressed leaderboard left almost the entire top 10 in contention for the podium, with the final downwind leg ultimately deciding the medals.
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Despite a strong campaign throughout the week, Price and Paul slipped to sixth overall at the conclusion of racing.
While the result was tough for the Australian pair, who had victory within reach, their overall trajectory continues to impress. The team has now recorded three top-six finishes from three major international regattas in 2026, marking a significant leap forward after placing 24th at the 2025 World Championships just six months ago.
Reflecting on the regatta, Price said, “We’ve come into this week after a really positive start to the season and we put down a really good effort.
“We’re really stoked with the momentum we’ve got and the performance we’ve found since the last Worlds, and we’re looking forward to moving into the Europeans in a couple of weeks.”
“Obviously very disappointed that we couldn’t finish the job today after being in a great position from the work we put down all week,” shared Paul.
“It’s a privilege any time we get to race for a World Championship, so we’re super happy with our performance. It’s only just the start of the journey for us on our road to LA and we’re excited for what’s to come.”
Australia also enjoyed strong representation in the Nacra 17 fleet, with two crews qualifying for the top-10 Final Series.
Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman delivered one of the standout performances of the final day, winning the opening race and backing it up with a second-place finish to climb the leaderboard to a personal-best fourth overall.
“Super happy with how today went,” reflected Hoffman on the day.
“We went out on the water with a pretty chill vibe, just happy to be out there and see what would happen. Then we got that first in the opening race, which was really fun, and backed it up with a second in the next final.
We weren’t expecting that with the tricky racing out there, but we’re really happy to get away with a first and a second and move up into fourth. It’s a big PB for us and we’re super stoked.”
Fellow squad members Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown experienced the full spectrum of racing, with days of domination followed by struggles, including a challenging Finals, ultimately finishing tenth overall in the Nacra 17.
In the 49erFX fleet, Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot showed promising form early in the Championship and successfully qualified for Gold Fleet racing. Unfortunately, Harding suffered a broken leg following an aggressive pitch-pole in the challenging conditions on day three, forcing the pair to withdraw from the remainder of the event.
The 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 squads will next return to major international competition at the European Championships in July, before heading to the Los Angeles Olympic Classes Regatta in August – an important opportunity to gain valuable experience on future Olympic waters.
There is no shortage of action ahead for the Australian Sailing Team, with the ILCA European Championships already underway and the iQFOiL European Championships beginning today in Portugal.
Full results can be found here
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