MEGAN THOMSON SETS EARLY PACE AT WOMEN’S MATCH RACING WORLDS
Chicago, USA (17 September 2025) – New Zealand’s Megan Thomson and her 2.0 Racing Team made a flawless start to the 2025 World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship on Lake Michigan today, scoring four wins from four races in challenging light conditions. Defending world champion Pauline Courtois from France and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team also won both of their first two races in the opening qualifying round-robin.
After a short postponement ashore, the 2025 women’s world championship event got underway in light 4-6 knot conditions with the twelve competing teams from seven countries scheduled into their respective matches in the opening round-robin stage. The top eight teams from the round-robin will advance to the quarter-final stage.
Despite the Windy City’s famous skyline providing a dramatic backdrop, conditions on the lake proved anything but straightforward. Light and shifty breezes drifting in from the north-east tested crews throughout the day, with constant pressure changes demanding patient boat handling.
New Zealand’s Thomson and her 2.0 Racing Team, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, looked composed and confident in the tricky conditions, making them the standout performers on the opening day.
“It was a challenging day for everyone today in the light airs,” added Thomson. “The girls did a great job getting us around the course and most importantly keeping us moving in the variable conditions, we are certainly hoping the breeze will fill in over the next few days.”
France’s Pauline Courtois and the Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team (Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet, Laurane Mettraux)
France’s Courtois and her Match in Pink Team also posted strong results winning their two races of the day against Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius and New Zealand’s Celia Willison. As defending women’s match racing world champion, Courtois is a favourite to defend her team’s crown.
With just four flights completed before Race Officer Anne Malledant cancelled racing for the day due to the light airs, the twelve teams still have plenty of racing in the qualifying round-robin stage to make the cut for the quarterfinals at the end of tomorrow or Friday morning subject to weather. With the forecast promising continuing light airs and warm weather, consistency and patience will be key for all teams over the coming days.
Racing continues tomorrow from 1030 local time.
Results after Day 1 (ties not broken):
1. NZL Megan Thomson 4–0 100%
1. FRA Pauline Courtois 2–0 100%
3. AUS Juliet Costanzo 2–1 67%
3. DEN Kristine Mauritzen 2–1 67%
5. USA Nicole Breault 1–1 50%
5. SWE Martina Carlsson 1–1 50%
5. SWE Anna Östling 1–1 50%
8. FRA Julia D’Amodio 1–2 33%
8. FRA Kenza Coutard 1–2 33%
8. DEN Lea Richter Vogelius 1–2 33%
11. NED Julia Aartsen 0–2 0%
11. NZL Celia Willison 0–3 0%
For live results, follow https://womenswmrt.com/live-results/
For images, visit https://gallery.hannahleenoll.com/2025-womens-match/openingceremony/
For enquiries, contact info@wmrt.com
Women’s Match Racing World Championship Competitors:
Julia Aartsen, Team Out of the Box, NED
(Crew: Eva Asbeek Brusse, Ismene Usman, Nerine Usman, Saar Van Bemmel)
Nicole Breault, Vela Racing, USA
(Crew: Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer, Dana Riley Hayes, McKenzie Wilson, Hailey Thompson)
Martina Carlsson, Beyond Racing, SWE
(Crew: Svea Sahlin, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Hedvig Hedström)
Juliet Costanzo, Easy Tiger Racing, AUS
(Crew: Sarah Parker, Rachel Bower, Katie Pellew, Alice Parker)
Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite, FRA
(Crew: Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet, Laurane Mettraux)
Kenza Coutard, CKAFEW Racing Team
(Crew: Elena Circiello-Vaillant, Amandine Le Van Jacob, Chloé Le Roux, Flavie Foucher)
Julia D’Amodio, Shark Caviar Team, FRA
(Crew: Alice Chiappori, Lauret Valentine, Perrot Roxane, Pennanec’h Manon)
Kristine Mauritzen, Those Seagulls, DEN
(Crew: Emilie Nordby, Katrine Ejlev, Maria Reinhold, Julia Toroi)
Megan Thomson, 2.0 Racing, NZL
(Crew: Tiana Wittey, Josi Andres, Charlotte Porter, Hattie Rogers)
Lea Richter Vogelius, WOW Racing, DEN
(Crew: Joan Hansen, Annette Srøm, Anne Sofie Munk-Hansen, Josefine Boel Rasmussen)
Celia Willison, Edge Women’s Match, NZL
(Crew: Clare Costanzo, Phoebe Buckland, Serena Woodall, Ruby Scholten)
Anna Östling, WINGS Sailing, SWE
(Crew: Linnéa Wennergren, Annie Saeedfar Wennergren Annika Carlunger, Karin Knigge)
For more updates and information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour and event documents, visit womenswmrt.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (@womenswmrt), Instagram(@womenswmrt) and X (Twitter) (@womenswmrt)
Women’s World Match Racing Tour 2025 Schedule:
Stage 1 Casa Vela Cup, San Francisco USA, 28-31 May
Stage 2 Santa Maria Cup, Annapolis USA, 4-7 June
Stage 4. Nordea Women’s Trophy – Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, 30 June – 5 July
Stage 5. Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Chicago, 17-20 September
Stage 6. Bermuda Women’s Match Race, Bermuda, 21-26 October
*Dates listed race days only
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com
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