They are in contention to be the first-ever Canadian medalists at the 49erFX World Championship
Kingston, October 11, 2025 – Canadian sailors Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Chester, N.S., are currently in third place in the 49erFX class at the 2025 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships held October 7-12 in Cagliari, Italy, which feature a new competition format.
After finishing in the top 25 ranked boats following the first three days of the competition, also called the Qualifying Series, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance ended the Final Series Saturday in third place overall with a net score of 103 points.
Vilma Bobeck and Ebba Berntsson from Sweden are still in first place with 81 points, followed by Paula Barcelo and Maria Cantero from Spain with 83 points. Freya Black and Saskia Tiday from Great Britain are four points away from the Lewin-LaFrance sisters with 107 points.
By closing out the Final Series among the top 20, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance qualified for the Medal Series to be held tomorrow and, therefore, they have a chance to be on the podium and to become the first-ever Canadian medalists at the 49erFX World Championship.
“The first two races were really challenging today and we scored massive points”, said Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance. “We made some big mistakes that cost us a lot, but we’re happy that we were able to recover with two solid races to finish the day.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll be testing a new Medal Series format, so there is a lot of uncertainty, but also a lot of excitement. We’ll bring our best selves tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for following along this week!”
On Sunday, the 20 boats involved will first take part in the Gold umpired Race. The top four boats following the Gold umpired Race, based on their cumulative scores from the Qualifying and Final Series as well as the Gold umpired Race, will qualify for the 4-point Race.
As all points earned from previous rounds will then start back at 0, the boat ranked first at the Gold umpired Race will receive 3 points, the second, 2 points, the third, 1 point, and the fourth will receive no points.
At the 4-point race, the winner will win the competition as the team will be awarded four points, while no other boats will receive points.
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.
