Kingston, June 25, 2026 – Canadian sailors Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance took the first position overall in 49erFX at the fourth Sailing Grand Slam regatta of the season, the 2026 edition of Kiel Week, held June 20-24 in Kiel, Germany.
This is their second gold medal of the 2026 season at a Sailing Grand Slam event. They have now won a medal in six of their last seven major competitions, having come up with a fourth-place finish at the 2026 49erFX World Championship during that stretch.
The sisters started the Kiel Week competition in first position after day 1 and never looked back after that. They finished ahead of Helen Pais and Helen Ausman from Estonia, second, who were followed by Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer from Germany. A total of 52 teams were in action in the 49erFX class.
The event was also a good preparation for their next competition, as they will be taking part in the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships to be held July 7-12 in Eckernförde, Germany.
“We’re really proud to have won the regatta. It was a long and hot week with light wind, and it was just really good training and preparation towards the European Championships to be held in a week and a half,” said Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance. “It was great to get some racing in and we also dialed the confidence up in our racing.”
“We want to say a huge thank you to our supporters, our support team back home, our sponsors and donors, friends and family, and everyone who helped us get here.”
A total of 10 Canadian sailors took part in the 2026 Kiel Week regatta. Here are the full Canadian results:
49erFX (/52 teams)
1. Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance (Chester, N.S.)
ILCA 6 (/55 sailors)
34. Maura Dewey (Victoria, B.C.)
49er (/90 teams)
63. Thomas and William Staples (Beaconsfield, QC)
73. Jack Gogan (Sydney, N.S.) and Hunter Hoy (Kirkland, QC)
Nacra 17 (/21 teams)
20. Caspar Lenz Anderson (Calgary, AB) and Grace Poole (Victoria, B.C.)
ILCA 7 (/119 sailors)
101. Louis Hupé (Rimouski, QC)
Close to 500 sailors were competing in the Olympic classes at the 2026 Kiel Week event.
The fifth and final regatta that will be part of this year’s Grand Slam Series is the Long Beach and San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta (OCR) (July 13-August 8).
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.
