July 17, 2025
3 minutes reading time
Perfect conditions for 2025 Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta medal races
At the top of their classes, competitors got Long Beach's finest on Thursday, wind gusting to 18 with waves and sunshine. The steady offshore breeze and classic Long Beach conditions delivered tight races between competitors.
The 49er FX class will be very competitive. Leading the 49er FX Class today is Swedish team Vilma Bobeck & Ebba Berntsson. Vilma is an established world-class helm and 2024 Olympic silver medalist, Silver/Gold in World Championships and was Starboard helm in Sweden’s America’s Cup team (AC40 Class). Ebba Berntsson is a talented, up and coming FX sailor gaining experience at top-tier regattas, active in Artemis Academy.
USA’s Paris Henken and Helena Scutt have reunited for the LA28 push. They were the first USA duo to compete in the 49erFX at the Olympic level at Rio in 2016. Since then, both have continued sailing at the highest level, completed college, and are now ready for this quad.
Eleven competitors from four countries are taking advantage of this regatta to learn the weather and winds they will get for LA28. Vying for top spots for their records is a high priority.
- 1st SWE Vilma Bobeck/Ebba Berntsson 4
- 2nd CAN Paris Henken/Helena Scutt 13
- 3rd CHN Yingquian Wang/ Xiaoya Su 15
49er competitors are using this time to get up to speed as well. The class is made up of a mix of experience, from young guns to Olympians. USA’s Nevin Snow & Ian fresh from the 2025 European Champions notably climbing from 4th to 2nd there have launched their Olympic campaign. After the day one they’re, “loving the sea breeze, nice wind.
- 1st USA Nevin Snow/Ian Macdiarmid 6
- 2nd GBR James Grummett/Rhos Hawes 13
- 3rd AUT Keanu Prettner/Jakob Flachberger 14
The top three in the multi hull NACRA 17 mixed class each scored firsts, seconds and thirds! They had terrific starts and photo finishes! British duo John Gimson and Anna Burnet won the Nacra 17 title at the SGS Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Mallorca, this past April.
- 1st GBR John Gimson/Anna Burnet 6
- 2nd AUT Lukas Haberl/Clara Stamminger 8
- 3rd AUT Laura Farese/Matthaus Zochling 10
The two top Austrian teams competed in the 2025 Worlds, at the 2024 Paris Olympics Lukas Haberl placed 15th overall. Accustomed to world class racing, the seasoned competitors will provide a true benchmark for the less experienced team.
- 1st CHN Wenqui Li 5
- 2nd USA Brynn Muller 10
- 3rd CHN Xialing Tan 13
The 2025 iQFOil World Championships took place in July in Aarhus, Denmark, serving as a key milestone in the LA28 Olympic cycle. With limited time between that regatta and the LB Olympic Classes Regatta, travel and logistics make it challenging for many competitors to attend both events. UWith an eye on LA28, these competitors are dedicating themselves to mastering the very wind and water conditions they’ll face in Long Beach during the Olympic Games.
In the Womens iQFOiL, USA’s Bryn Muller is going head-to-head with a strong contingent of Chinese competitors. Five races were completed.
- 1st CHN Kun Bi 5
- 2nd CHN Jingye Huang 8
- 3rd CHN Zhen Huang 9
In The Men’s iQFOiL, after five races, China’s Bi Kun took all five bullets. He is a prominent Chinese windsurfer who has transitioned from the RS:X to the iQFOil discipline. In2020 Tokyo Olympics, he secured a bronze medalin the men’s RS:X. In 2025 Olympic Week in Hyeres he triumphed in the men’s iQFOil event.
Text and images courtesy of the Long Beach Yacht Club/Bronny Daniels