The Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta off Mallorca enjoys a very high reputation in sailing circles; every year it marks the start of the season and is often the first performance test for the Olympic classes. Even though the iQFOiLers have already started the season and thus the next Olympic cycle at the iQFOiL Games off Lanzarote the Trofeo is one of the highlights of the year.
While there was no German starter in the men's event, the focus in the women's event was on Theresa Steinlein, who finished sixth at the Olympics. She regularly finished on the podium in the 19 heats, seamlessly following on from her performance in Marseille and making it clear that she is one of the world's best. An intermittent slump was the result of a sleepless night due to food poisoning. Steinlein went straight into the semi-finals of the Medal Series, where she finished third and took a very good fifth place at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia.
Emma Wilson takes overall victory in the Trofeo Princesa Sofia
Emma Wilson, who had become a tragic figure at the Olympics after losing her dominant lead in the final due to nervousness, ended up at the front. So often in recent years, the Brit has led throughout the week only to fall at the final hurdle. This time she held her nerve and was able to celebrate an emotional victory. The two-time Olympic bronze medallist deservedly took gold ahead of China's Zheng Yan in silver and New Zealand's Veerle Ten Have in bronze.
Wilson said, "It's been an incredible week, it's super cool and I haven't won much in my career so I'm really happy to get a good final today. It's a great moment for me to share with everyone who has supported me and I can thank my coaches, friends and family." Wilson not only won the iQFOiL classification, but also became the overall winner of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca. "She was awarded the trophy after her results throughout the regatta resulted in the highest score in the formula used to compare the relative performances of the gold medal winners in all 10 race categories," said the organisers' statement.
Grae Morris with a flawless victory
In the men's event, Australia's Grae Morris was able to finish the men's iQFOiL final in a single race. The 21-year-old Olympic silver medallist from Paris 2024 was in the lead all week and took advantage of the new final format to beat the competition on the final day. Italy's Nicolo Renna and France's Adrien Mestre took silver and bronze respectively. Morris said: "It's a great feeling and I hope I can experience this more often in the future. I'm grateful for the good conditions and the fact that we had a good race to show the rest of the world. It's great to be on the start line with a great group of guys and I'm just happy to have come out on top here."
Sophia Meyer finished the regatta in 37th place, while Alica Stuhlemmer ended up at the bottom of the rankings in 67th place. Of the PWA stars, Johan "The Beast" Søe finished eleventh and Nico Goyard seventh. Foil world champion Justine Lemeteyer took 42nd place in an iQFOiL taster session with the new Patrik material.
