Kingston, October 1, 2026 – The Canadian 49erFX team comprised of Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance in addition to ILCA 7 sailor James Juhasz have been named Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Athletes of the Year for 2025.
The Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Athletes of the Year Awards are representatives of the long-standing partnership of Gallagher Skippers’ Plan and Sail Canada. These awards are given out annually to two current Canadian Sailing Team members of different gender identities. The selected athletes have shown a record of outstanding achievement in national and international competition and have brought recognition to Canadian competitive sailing, set an example for other competitors through behaviour and manner, and have demonstrated leadership and sportsmanship.
Nominations were evaluated based on a time period ranging from January 1 to December 31, 2025.
On the women’s side, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance were selected as the winners of the Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Athlete of the Year Award for the very first time in their career.
After taking part in their first Olympic Games in 2024, the sisters from Nova Scotia won four medals in six competitions over the prescribed time period, notably a gold medal at the 2025 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships held in Greece. They also won three bronze medals, including one at the French Olympic Week and at the Kiel Week events, which were held as part of the Sailing Grand Slam Series, and another at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships held in Italy. They also took the fourth position at another Sailing Grand Slam Series event, the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta.
Their performances in 2025 were truly remarkable. The bronze medal they won at the 49erFX World Championships in early October 2025 was a landmark achievement, as they became the first-ever sailors from Canada to medal at that competition. Furthermore, few teams in Canadian history have had a gold-bronze combo at the European and World Championships in the same year.
Their results from 2025 also allowed them to start the following season on top of the World Sailing rankings in the 49erFX class.
“We’re honoured to be named winners of the Sail Canada Women Athletes of the Year Award,” said Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance. “This would be impossible without the incredible people who support us every step of the way. We’re so grateful to have a strong team behind us. Thank you!”
James Juhasz: Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Male Athlete of the Year
On the men’s side, James Juhasz from Oakville, ON, was named the Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Male Athlete of the Year for 2025.
Throughout the competitions he took part in over the 2025 season, James Juhasz had a breakthrough performance at the ILCA 7 World Championship with a 37th-place finish, which proved to be the top Canadian result at that event since 2016.
Juhasz’s performance allowed Canada to take the 22nd position in country rankings, as compared to 27th place in 2024.
He also coached the ILCA 7 boys at the 2025 U21 World Championships, leading three Canadians to finish in the Gold Fleet (29th, 31st and 42nd as well as 8th in U19).
Off the water, James was elected to sit on Sail Canada’s Board as an athlete representative and he spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Sailing Team Athlete Council, where he has worked to gather athlete feedback, foster high performance training environments, and put the systems in place to help bring Canada to the forefront of Olympic sailing.
“What an honour it is to receive the Sail Canada Male Athlete of the Year Award,” said James Juhasz. “It was a long season with plenty of ups and downs, but I am especially proud of the work we have done with the team at Sail Canada to help develop a high-performance environment for all the National Team athletes. From the building of the Sail Canada gym in Kingston, to the hosting of regular athlete meetings and to working with the board on Horizon 32, there has been a lot of work put in over the past year to foster a culture within the Canadian Sailing Team that is going to lead us to Olympic success. I can’t thank Anders Gustafsson, Ken Dool, Ryan Kelly and the rest of the team enough and I can’t wait to continue this kind of progress into the new year.”
Additional information on the Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Athletes of the Year Awards is available at https://www.sailing.ca/the-skippers-plan-athletes-teams-of-the-year-past-winners/.
About Gallagher Skippers’ Plan
Through its long-standing partnership with Sail Canada, Gallagher Skippers’ Plan is committed to supporting the sailing community and the next generation of athletes. By promoting participation, education, safety, and excellence in sailing, Gallagher helps sailors to develop their skills, achieve their competitive goals, and foster a lifelong passion for the sport. The Gallagher Skippers’ Plan team, part of Arthur J. Gallagher Canada Limited, remains committed to improving boating and serving the insurance needs of Canadian boaters in Canada and throughout the world.
Gallagher is one of the world’s largest insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firms. As a community insurance broker and trusted local consultant, Gallagher helps people and businesses move forward with confidence. With people working around the globe, Gallagher is connected to the places where they do business and to every community they call home. Managing risk with customized solutions and a full spectrum of services, helping you foster a thriving workforce, and always holding ourselves to the highest standards of ethics to help you face every challenge — that’s The Gallagher Way.
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
