Tamar Steinberg from Israel and Luuc van Opzeeland from the Netherlands are the new 2026 iQFOiL World Champions. After six days of competition, the Medal Series in Weymouth and Portland on Saturday decided the World Championship titles. Steinberg dominated the women’s competition from day one and needed just a single race in the Grand Final to secure the title. Van Opzeeland seized his chance in the men’s Grand Final and prevailed over Noah Lyons. Both champions had already 2026 European Championships in Portimão and have thus secured an exceptional one-two. 186 athletes from 41 nations competed for the world titles at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in changeable conditions.
Steinberg dominated right from the start
Tamar Steinberg put in an impressive performance throughout the week. The Israeli got off to a flying start in the Qualification Series with four consecutive victories and steadily extended her lead. As the winner of the qualifiers, she went into the Grand Final with one match point. There she faced her compatriot Sharon Kantor, who also had one match point to her name. Steinberg left no room for doubt and won the first race of the final. With this victory, she secured the required two match points and was crowned 2026 World Champion. Kantor had to settle for silver, whilst Stella Bilger from Australia took bronze. Theresa Steinlein narrowly missed out on the Medal Series, finishing 13th. As the women were unable to sail any further races on the penultimate day due to a lack of wind, the Olympic sixth-place finisher had no chance of moving up into the top ten. Sophia Meyer finished the World Championships in 46th place, whilst Emma Schleicher came 59th.
A dramatic medal series in the men’s event
The men’s Medal Series offered more excitement and unexpected twists. Tom Reuveny won the quarter-final ahead of Federico Alan Pilloni. Both qualified for the semi-final, where they faced Johan Søe, Nicolas Goyard and Kiran Badloe. The first semi-final had to be re-run following an error in the starting procedure. In the re-sail, Goyard and Søe came out on top, whilst Reuveny and Badloe were eliminated. Noah Lyons from the USA and Luuc van Opzeeland were already waiting in the Grand Final. As the winner and runner-up of the Qualification Series respectively, both athletes had one match point each. Van Opzeeland seized his chance in the first race, winning and securing the world title with two match points. Lyons took silver, whilst Søe completed the podium with bronze. The three German competitors, Lenny Friemel, Max Körner and Finley Evans, finished the World Championships in 71st, 81st and 92nd place respectively.
European champions become world champions
For Steinberg and Van Opzeeland, the victory in Weymouth marks the culmination of an exceptional 2026 season. Both athletes had already won the European Championships in Portimão and travelled to the UK as reigning continental champions. With the world title, they have now completed the prestigious double of European and world championships in the same year. Van Opzeeland demonstrated his strength particularly at the decisive moment, seizing his opportunity in the first Grand Final race. Steinberg demonstrated consistent dominance throughout the week, which ultimately meant she needed just a single final race to secure the title. After six gruelling days of competition, the Medal Series provided a fitting conclusion to a World Championship that placed the highest demands on the athletes.
All results at 2026iqworldsweymouth.sailti.com
