The organisers of Kiel Week 2026 wanted to add an extra element of excitement to their Olympic final day with a new format. Instead of a single medal race, two medal races were planned for each of the six Olympic classes. However, on Wednesday, it was not the format that dictated the course of events, but the lack of wind.
Only four of the twelve scheduled final races took place. From a German perspective, however, the results were still impressive: four medals, including gold in the mixed 470 class with an all-German podium, and bronze for Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer in the 49erFX. At the same time, some of Germany’s hopefuls were denied their final chance on the water.
This hit Ole Schweckendiek and Philipp Buhl particularly hard. The two ILCA-7 sailors were still within striking distance of the podium in fourth and fifth place, but were unable to mount a challenge due to the lull.
Four medals for Germany, but hardly any finals
The biggest success story for Germany came in the 470 mixed class, where the podium was made up entirely of German sailors. As no further finals could be sailed, the standings remained as they were before the final day. Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort took gold, silver and bronze, followed by Malte Winkel and Bente Batzig, and Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr.
This gave Wednesday a somewhat contradictory feel. From a German perspective, the medal haul was good. From a sporting point of view, however, some of the expected excitement of the finals was missing, as eight of the twelve scheduled medal races could no longer take place.
The other gold medals in the Olympic classes went to Switzerland in the 49er, Canada in the 49erFX, Italy in the ILCA 7, Denmark in the ILCA 6 and Great Britain in the Nacra 17.
49erFX: Bronze after a nail-biting finish and a rules review
The women’s 49erFX was the first – and initially the only – class to compete on Wednesday. In both medal races, the positions changed every few seconds. In the end, Georgia and Antonia Lewin-Lafrance from Canada won the Kiel Week in commanding fashion. Silver went to Helen Pais and Helen Ausman from Estonia.
Behind them, things took a dramatic turn for Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer. The German duo finished level on points with Johanne and Andrea Schmidt from Denmark. The deciding factor was Appendix A 8.1 of the Racing Rules of Sailing: Steinlein and Bartelheimer’s first place, compared with the Danish pair’s fourth place, secured the bronze medal for the NRV crew.
Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille also made a big impression in the finals. They were the best crew in the finals, but only managed sixth place in the overall standings.
49er: Swiss gold; Schultheis/Rieger finish eighth
In the men’s single sculls, the race for gold was a closer affair. Joshua Richner and Nilo Schärer from Switzerland won ahead of Illy Wureit and Yuval Barnoon from Israel. Nevin Snow and Ian Macdiarmid from the USA took bronze.
From a German perspective, Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger were unable to get back into the medal race. After the first race of the final, they were in seventh place and had no chance of a podium finish; they ended Kiel Week in eighth place.
The reception of the new Olympic format remains an interesting topic. Although the Swiss team won, they did not seem particularly enthusiastic about it. For Kiel Week, the final day was therefore also a practical test with mixed results: more excitement on paper, but too little wind for the full field to compete on the water.
Light winds halt Schweckendiek, Buhl and the Nacra 17
The ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes also did not sail any further races on Wednesday. Meteorologist Sebastian Wache explained that the weak gradient wind had long been working against the thermal sea breeze. There were repeated lulls and sharp shifts in wind direction. Even close to shore, off the entrance to Kiel’s inner fjord, no steady breeze had built up.
In the ILCA 7 class, Attilio Borio from Italy took the win ahead of Lorenzo Mayer from France and John Frederik Wolff from Denmark. Ole Schweckendiek from Kiel and Philipp Buhl from Sonthofen had to settle for fourth and fifth place respectively. Both still had a chance of making it onto the podium, but were unable to compete in the final race.
There was a Danish one-two in the ILCA 6 class. Helena Wolff won ahead of Anna Munch, with the bronze medal going to Chiara Benini Floriani from Italy.
The Nacra 17s also remained in the harbour due to a lack of wind. John Gimson and Anna Burnet from Great Britain won ahead of Emil Jarüdd and Hanna Jonsson from Sweden. Ruben and Rita Booth from Australia finished joint third on points.
With the Olympic Games now halfway through, the second week gets underway
With the results in the Olympic classes now in, Kiel Week is far from over. However, the second half of the regatta also began on Wednesday with a wait. Following the flag parade featuring eleven nations and an opening ceremony in the Sailing Arena, the Flying Dutchman World Championship initially got underway only on land.
First there was a two-hour delay, then a three-hour delay. After that, the World Championship opener was cancelled altogether. It is due to start at 11 am on Thursday. The other international classes, including the 29er Eurocup, are scheduled for 1 pm.
So Wednesday leaves us with a mixed picture: Germany has won four medals at the halfway point of the Olympics, but the final day itself remains unfulfilled. The Kiel Week only delivered the excitement everyone had hoped for where the wind was still on their side.
Four German medals, and yet a final day that leaves questions unanswered: is a new format convincing if, in the end, the wind forces the cancellation of eight out of twelve races? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
