Canadian 49erFX sailors Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Chester, N.S., won their second gold medal in a row at a major international competition, this time at the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships held July 7-12 in Eckernförde, Germany.
After winning gold two weeks ago at the fourth Sailing Grand Slam regatta of the season, the 2026 edition of Kiel Week, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance finished in first position out of 54 boats at the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships.
The Canadian team has now been on the podium for six of their last seven major events, finishing four times in first place during that run, while also registering a fourth-place result at the 2026 49erFX World Championship. Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance were also the gold medalists at last year’s 49erFX European Championships.
At the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships, they were in 10th position after the second day of the six-day competition, before moving up to second place the day after and then, keeping the lead position as of day four. Going into Sunday’s Final Series, the sisters had a nine-point lead. However, the lack of wind led to the cancellation of the final day of competition.
Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille from Germany won silver, followed by Mathilde Lovadina and Lou Berthomieu from France with bronze. The fleet also included all medalists from the 2026 and 2025 49erFX World Championships.
“It’s been a really nice week, to be honest,” said Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance. “We didn’t have many expectations even though we had a good year last year. I think we still consider ourselves like underdogs and we still have lots to learn. It just makes us really proud to have put together a really strong series, especially against such a strong fleet of women that we race against. We’re both really happy and we wouldn’t be here without all the support of everyone back home; a massive thank you to everyone at home and we share this win with you.”
The sisters therefore keep the European Champion title they gained at last year’s edition.
“Winning last year in Thessaloniki, Greece, was probably our first major title as a team and it was such a sweet feeling,” added the sisters. “We also remember winning bronze in 2021 there and just these amazing vibes coming in at sunset. So just the same feeling again, but here, in Germany, it’s pretty special.”
A total of eight Canadians were in action at the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships. Following are their results:
49erFX (/54)
1. Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance (Chester, N.S.)
Nacra 17 (/35)
30. Galen Richardson (Toronto, ON) and Madeline Gillis (Halifax, N.S.)
34. Caspar Lenz Anderson (Calgary, AB) and Grace Poole (Victoria, B.C.)
49er (/93)
76. Jack Gogan (Sydney, N.S.) and Hunter Hoy (Kirkland, QC)
Close to 200 boats were in action at the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships, including seven of the nine medal-winning teams from the 2026 World Championships and six of the nine from the 2025 World Championships.
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
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