Trieste, Italy — The 2026 L30 World Championship came to a spectacular conclusion, with the World Championship title and Corinthian Division decided virtually down to the final metres of the final race.
The final day began with everything still open. Team Tara of Hungary, which had led the championship for much of the regatta, could have taken the title had it not missed the finish line in the first race of the day.
Instead, the battle for the World Championship became a dramatic duel between Hungary’s Black Sheep and Rusalka.
In the final race, the fleet split between the two sides of the course. Black Sheep and Rusalka chose the left, while the young Italian RISING STAR YOUTH SAILING TEAM, using its knowledge of the local Trieste conditions, went right. Tara followed the same strategy.
The decision proved crucial.
RISING STAR YOUTH SAILING TEAM secured an impressive second-place finish, while Ukraine’s Daari, fighting for a place on the overall podium, crossed the line in third.
The final leg could hardly have been more decisive. Had Daari overtaken the Italian team, Daari would have finished second overall on equal points with RISING STAR, while Rusalka would have dropped to fourth.
But RISING STAR held on.
When the final scores were calculated, Black Sheep of Hungary emerged as the 2026 L30 World Champion, with RISING STAR YOUTH SAILING TEAM just one point behind.
Final Overall Standings
1. Black Sheep — Hungary — World Champions
2. RISING STAR YOUTH SAILING TEAM — Italy — 1 point behind
3. Rusalka — Hungary — equal on points with Daari
4. Daari — Ukraine — equal on points with Rusalka
The Corinthian Division was equally close. RISING STAR YOUTH SAILING TEAM, finishing second overall, took the Corinthian Division title. Happy Merida of Hungary finished second, while USA14 of the United States, representing Davis Island Yacht Club and led by Vladimir Kulinichenko, secured third in an impressive championship debut. Ukraine’s TardeX finished fourth, narrowly missing the podium.
The 2026 L30 World Championship once again showed the essence of one-design racing. With boats closely matched, championships can be decided by tactics, local knowledge, consistency and a single moment of opportunity.
In Trieste, that difference came down to one point — and, in the final leg, just a few metres.
Congratulations to Black Sheep, the 2026 L30 World Champions, to all the podium finishers, and to every team that fought until the very end.
