The iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games 2025 in Torbole on Lake Garda have got off to an exciting start. With 215 registered riders from 23 nations, the event presents itself as the second major competition of the year for the U19, U17 and U15 athletes of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Class. The Circolo Surf Torbole, the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Class and the Italian Sailing Federation are responsible for the organisation. Despite initially gloomy weather forecasts, Lake Garda surprised the participants on the first day of the competition with an unexpected southerly breeze of 12 to 15 knots, which lasted for over two hours and enabled two course races to be held in all classifications.
The youngest participants in the U17 class opened the competition, followed by the U19 fleets. In the U17 class of the young men, divided into two qualification groups, there were already clear differences in performance. The U19 races, on the other hand, were fiercely contested and ended in close decisions. Rüya Ugurlu from Turkey made a particularly impressive start in the women's U17 Youth category with two consecutive victories and a three-point lead over second-placed Omer Hen from Israel. Frantisek Burda from the Czech Republic took the lead in the young men's U17 category with two wins, closely followed by Moritz Schleicher from Germany.
Challenging conditions on the second day
The second day of competition presented itself with persistent rainfall, but it was still possible to carry out part of the race programme. The focus was on upwind sprints, starting with the U19 men's and women's fleets. The U19 men completed three races, the women two, before the wind died down for the following U17 fleets. Frenchman Léopold Brisedou defended his overall lead with two first places and a dropped seventh place. Aksel Haava from Estonia improved to second place overall, while Nov Kfir from Israel moved up to third place with two wins and a seventh place.
Third day brings a full racing programme
On the third day of the competition, the characteristic south wind of Lake Garda finally set in and made a full racing programme possible. With a steady 16 knots, all fleets were able to complete five course races. The FIV Race Committee, in co-operation with the on-water team of the Circolo Surf Torbole and the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Class, managed the impressive feat of 30 starts in five hours.
In the U17 youth class, Dutch riders Finn Brüll and Merlin Boswijk shone. Brüll won all five races in his group, while Boswijk recorded three victories and two second places in the other group. The previous leader Frantisek Burda from the Czech Republic dropped back to third place despite good placings, while Moritz Schleicher is still in fifth place after a DNC in the course race. Among the young women, Rüya Uğurlu remained unbeaten at the top of the U17 rankings with a perfect seven wins in seven races.
Exciting neck-and-neck race in the U19 class
Aksel Haava and Léopold Brisedou currently share the lead in the U19 classification for young men, closely followed by Valentino Blewett in third place. Matti Winkler in 32nd place is currently the best German, Nils Präger is in 37th place, Max Winkler is 43rd and Eddie Burger 48th.
Medea Falcioni continues to dominate the U19 women's field. The young Italian was satisfied after her successes: "I come from Ancona on the Adriatic, so I'm not from here. But I've been riding here for about a week and successfully took part in the last event, the Coppa Italia. Today we only had two races, two course races. The first one went really well for me, I had a good start on starboard tack. In the second race I didn't have the best start ever, but I was able to recover on the second cross. The wind was shifty and weak, which made sailing very difficult. I am therefore happy with my two victories today and am really looking forward to tomorrow and hoping for better wind!"
Emma Schleicher is in ninth place with consistent top ten results. The iQFOiL Youth & Junior Games continue until Saturday, so two more days of racing await the participants
Interim result iQFOiL Youth & Junior Games Lake Garda
U19 Men
- Aksel Haava
- Léopold Brisedou
- Valentino Blewett
U19 Ladies
- Medea Falcioni
- Francesca Maria Salerno
- Yaheli Leen
U17 Men
- Finn Brüll
- Merlin Boswijk
- Frantisek Burda
U17 Ladies
- Rüya Uğurlu
- Parla Kabasakal
- Omer Hen
All results under 2025iqyjgamestorbole.sailti.com