Youth Match Racing World Champions 2025 crowned in Gdynia

This event was definitely tailor-made for them, as they managed to win 12 out of 15 round robin races, giving them an impressive 80% success rate. In the quarter-final, they won 3 out of 3 races against another French team led by Ange Delerce, and then they did it again in the semi-finals—going 2 for 2 against Morgan Pinckney’s Team USA.

“We are obviously very happy about winning this Championship, but I, as helm, am also super proud of my team,” says Marin Micoulot. “The conditions weren’t easy, but we managed to stay focused and do very well.”

“This was our first Youth World Championship, which makes the win even more special,” adds Camille Pfaff, crewmate of Marin. “A few months ago, we managed to place second in the French Match Racing Championship, so this is by far our best result!” he says.

Gdynia didn’t make it easy for the sailors, as nearly every stage was delayed. The semi-finals, which were supposed to start on Saturday, actually began on Sunday, making it a very packed day. Racing began at 10 a.m., and eight races were conducted in total—all the semi-finals and all matches for places 5th to 8th. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough wind to run any of the final races. Since it was the last day, the latest warning signal could be displayed was 16:00, and racing just wasn’t in the cards. Two AP flags were displayed, and winners were determined by the results from the qualification stage.

“We knew that this week’s forecast was going to be very light, so we wanted to do our best in the round robin,” says Marin. “With such light winds comes a lot of waiting, but we’re always prepared for that. We try to focus on getting through the day and not getting distracted so that when the time comes to race, we can give it our best. We were supposed to race another French team led by Ange Delerce, but that din’t end up happening. If it had, it wouldn’t have been any different to us than racing a team from another country,” he sums up.

The Vice World Championship goes to another French team, helmed by Ange Delerce and his crewmates: Julia D’amodio, Thomas Flachon and Sylvestre de Giulu Morghen. Team USA, led by Justin Callahan, alongside his crewmates: Harrison Strom, Kate Danielson and Peter Joslin came in third. Here, the semi-finals were decisive, as the two teams had finished the round robin in a tie.

It was a very packed week, filled with lots of emotions, stress, and happiness. Despite the challenges, the sailors showed incredible resilience and sportsmanship. In the end, the French teams dominated, proving that dedication and focus can overcome even the most unpredictable conditions.

Text and images courtesy of the Polish Yachting Association.