European Championships in the 49er, FX and Nacra 17 classes: Gold and bronze for Germany’s skiff specialists

​The German Olympic sailors have clinched two medals at the European Championships on home soil in the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes. In the women’s 49erFX, Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille from the Mühlenberger Sailing Club successfully defended their the title won last year.

Bergmann/Wille in the 49erFX on course for LA28: “Exactly where we want to be”

Although the 2024 Olympic sixth-place finishers were beaten by the Canadian Kieler Woche winners Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance at the open championships held off Eckernförde, they still finished as the top European team. However, much to the disappointment of some of the competitors, the final races scheduled for Sunday were ultimately cancelled due to insufficient wind.

“When we won the European Championships last year, the weather in Thessaloniki was the same every day. Here in Eckernförde, it was different every day.” Marla Bergmann

For 24-year-old coxswain Marla Bergmann and her 25-year-old bowwoman Hanna Wille, the final whistle – with no chance of a medal – brought European Championship gold. Two years after their Olympic debut in Marseille, the duo are sailing on the Elbe in Hamburg back amongst the world’s beste.

“Winning at home makes it extra special because we have so many fans, family and friends here. People had the day off today and came along to celebrate with us. It really is very special.” Hanna Wille

“We are very happy and, halfway through our preparations for the LA28 Games, exactly where we want to be,” said Marla Bergmann in Eckernförde after a very eventful week at the European Championships. Two days of strong winds to start with, moderate conditions and light-wind races towards the end made this European Championship a real all-round test for the 54 women’s FX duos from 25 nations.

Strong fourth-place finishers at the European Championships in the 49erFX: Sophie Steinlein and Cathy Bartelheimer

Finishing fourth in the final European Championship standings, the Olympic squad sailors and 2025 World Championship fifth-place finishers Sophie Steinlein and Cathy Bartelheimer (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Segelclub Inning am Ammersee) narrowly missed out on a second DSV medal in the women’s skiff class. However, together with Bergmann/Wille, they ensured that the German Sailing Team finished the FX title races in their home waters in northern Germany as the most successful European nation.

Katharina Schwachhofer and Elena Stoltze (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Segelkameradschaft Leopoldshafen) finished 13th in the overall European Championship standings. SailGP strategist Anna Barth also secured a place in the top 20, finishing 17th in the European Championships alongside Emma Kohlhof. Click here for the European Championship results for the women’s FX sailors.

“What a week for the whole team! We’re European champions once again! Marla and Hanna have successfully defended their title in style. Sophie and Cathy have also shown just how consistently they sail at the very top,” said DSV head coach Dom Tidey, who watched his protégés from afar as he is already in Los Angeles with parts of the national team for training and regatta duties.

"I’m proud of how the whole team worked and also withstood the mental and physical pressure that a home match like this usually brings." Dom Tidey

In the Olympic 49er class too, the winners were decided without the two final medal races. In the open category, the winners were the New Zealand world champions Seb Menzies – who also sails for his country in the America’s Cup – and George Lee Rush. The European Championship gold went to the British pair James Grummett and Rhis Hawes, ahead of the Polish duo Mikolaj Staniul and Jakub Sztorch.

European Championship bronze for 49er aces Schultheis and Rieger

Richard Schultheis (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein), aged just 21, and his 30-year-old bowman Fabian Rieger (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) celebrated their European Championship bronze medal their first joint medal at the European Championships. “That’s a brilliant achievement, and Richard and Fabi have been rewarded for their hard work. It’s their first podium finish at a major championship,” said Dom Tidey. Click here for the European Championship results for the 49er class.

Richard Schultheis, who was born in Berlin and grew up in Malta, is regarded as an outstanding talent. The Schultheis/Rieger team had already this year won the star-studded Spanish classic, the Trofeo Princesa Sofía. Schultheis, who has twice finished fifth in the Moth World Championships, has only been competing for the German Sailing Team for around a year and a half. He sails with the experienced Fabian Rieger, who previously won bronze at the 2018 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, with his then-helmsman Tim Fischer.

Richard Schultheis said on Sunday in Eckernförde: “It’s our first medal together at a major championship. We’re delighted about that. But now we’re getting back to work and trying to close the remaining gaps to reach the top.”

Towards an Olympic future on two hulls?

It remains to be seen how Julian Hoffmann and Alica Stuhlemmer’s joint Nacra 17 trial will turn out. The Ilca 7 helmsman and the 2021 Nacra 17 Olympic bronze medallist are exploring whether they can have a shared Olympic future on two hulls. After spending less than 30 days together in the Nacra 17, they finished 22nd at the European Championships in Eckernförde.

Hoffmann highlighted “standout moments”. However, the decision on what lies ahead for the two athletes remains to be seen. In the Nacra 17 class, the Swedes Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson won European Championship gold ahead of the seasoned pair John Gimson and Anna Burnet (Great Britain), who won Olympic silver in 2021 and the World Championship title in 2025. Third place went to the Dutch pair Willemijn Offermann and Scipio Houtman. Click here for the European Championship results in the Nacra 17 class.