The winner of the last Vendée Globe 2024/25, Charlie Dalin, has cancer. What is making the rounds in the media today is a story that is unrivalled in professional sport. During the entire race around the world, for 64 days, the exceptional French sailor sailed with bowel cancer. Nobody knew about it except his family.
On 14 January 2025 Charlie Dalin crossed the finish line a beaming winner in Les Sables d'Olonne. With a time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, he pulverised Armel Le Cléac'h's previous record by more than nine days. But behind this sporting triumph lies a story of unimaginable courage and willpower.
Dalin kept his secret
In autumn 2023, Dalin was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). Dalin, skipper of the IMOCA "Macif Santé Prévoyance", had withdrawn from the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 due to unspecified medical problems. The diagnosis was a shock.
Dalin sailed 27,000 nautical miles with a tumour about 15 centimetres in size in his stomach and had to cope with pain and adhere to a strict medication schedule. "I had stomach pains, but I told myself: you don't have time to worry about it. The pain disappeared as quickly as it had come," he explained. "By the time I was back on land, I had almost forgotten about it," says Dalin.
The tumour had not yet spread and there were treatment options. In autumn 2023, his participation was in doubt until the last minute, when an examination in November 2024 confirmed that the tumour had not grown and he was able to take part in the start in Les Sables d'Olonne.
Sailing with death breathing down your neck
"On 10 November 2024, the day of the Vendée Globe start, I was incredibly relaxed. We often hear that participation in the Vendée Globe is already a victory. In my case, that was exactly the case! Because a year earlier, I didn't even know if I would survive," said Dalin.
"I was lucky that there was such a simple treatment - one Comprimé every 24 hours, which I tolerated well. It was a treatment that was compatible with this round-the-world race. Of course, it added difficulties, but I'm glad I managed to take part in this race and win it."
The illness also made him put things into perspective. "Paradoxically, I was the most relaxed in the fleet at the start. This illness helped me to take a step back from things. At the start, I told myself that it wouldn't be bad if I missed the Vendée Globe or didn't win. There were worse things in life than losing a race. That helped me to put things into perspective and start without pressure. But my motivation was there, stronger than ever."
Dalin sailed a race for the ages
Dalin led the fleet for a total of 42 days, including an uninterrupted run since 30 December. The 41-year-old fought an epic duel with his compatriot Yoann Richomme. At the previous Vendée Globe 2020/21, Dalin was finished firstbut fellow competitor Yannick Bestaven was awarded the win after being credited with time for his involvement in the search and rescue of Kevin Escoffier.
Despite constant fatigue, Dalin passed the Cape of Good Hope in the lead and opted to face a dangerous storm in the Indian Ocean, while most of his competitors took a longer route around it. It was the decision of a man who had everything to gain and nothing left to lose.
The bitter truth after the triumph
Shortly after the finish in February of this year, Charlie Dalin underwent an operation. "I had a tumour that was 15 centimetres long on my intestine. They removed it in February, but it came back in another place in April.
After the operation, he had lost 14 kilograms and was clearly marked. "I thought I could still do the next season, but the disease came back. In spring 2025 it was complicated, we tried several immunotherapies and it took time to find one that worked. At that point, I had to accept not taking part in this sports season."
The uncertain future of Charlie Dalin
The reality is harsh. "Today the disease is stable. I have lost a lot of weight and am no longer able to take part in offshore races. The next Vendée Globe is not possible in my case, but I am hopeful that I will return one day, perhaps in transatlantic races," said Dalin.
"I will decide this winter whether I can do the Route du Rhum or not. We'll see whether I can build up muscle mass, whether I get the strength to be able to sail. One thing is certain: According to the current state of research and my treatment, a Vendée Globe is out of the question."
His dream? "To be able to sail again as soon as possible. I'm holding on to that. I have no desire to retire at the age of 41."
An unprecedented career
The exceptional sailor and naval architect Charlie Dalin from Le Havre has been sailing regattas since 2004 and has won almost everything. He has finished on the podium at the Solitaire du Figaro five times in a row, won numerous transats, came second in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe and is the winner of the 2024-2025 Vendée Globe.
His first success on the water was a victory in the 2009 Mini-Transat, in which he won the second stage in Salvador da Bahia in Brazil. This was followed by top places in various offshore races. In 2019 he triumphed in the Transat, in 2022 he won the Vendée Arctique and a year later the Fastnet Race. In preparation for his second Vendée Globe, he won both the New York Vendée in June and Le Défi Azimut in September 2024.
Before the 2024 race, Dalin had spoken about how he coped with the unique emotional rollercoaster of finishing his first Vendée Globe in first place, but knowing that his victory would not last. This setback motivated him all the more.
Dalin's early legacy
The news was published in Dalin's book "La Force du Destin" (The Force of Destiny) by Gallimard. He wrote it in collaboration with sailing journalist Didier Ravon.
"If my story can help even just ten people to change things a little or give them hope that they can live better with their illness, then I would have won everything," said Dalin.
Charlie Dalin's story is more than that of a sailor who has won a regatta. It also tells of a triumph over cancer. "It's a double victory! A victory in the race, but also a victory over the disease," he said emotionally. It is the story of a man who refused to give up, who found his greatest opponent not on the water but in his own body - and won anyway.
Whether Charlie Dalin will ever sail professionally again is uncertain. But his legacy is already clear: he showed the world that true greatness lies not in winning, but in how you fight when everything is at stake.
