Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman are determined to clinch their first 470 World Championship title. The Spanish crew has secured two consecutive silver medals in the 470 World Championships in the years 2022 and 2023. This time, they face the battle for the title on home turf, in the waters of S’Arena, in a bay in Palma that they know well.
According to Brugman: “The World Championship is the major event of the year, aside from the Olympic Games, which are our main focus. That’s why, one way or another, the World Championships are always very important to us.”
Xammar and Brugman are familiar with the bay of Palma, which could be a key factor in this World Championship: “For us, the time we spend in the bay of Palma is always very special because it means being at home, even more so this year if we can extend it by participating in the World Championship and having the support of our people. The Club Nàutic S’Arenal does an excellent job every year with the most important regatta on the circuit, the Trofeo Princesa Sofía, and we know that organizing this World Championship will be a success.”
Okada and Yoshioka Defend Their Title
The last two World Championships were dominated by different teams. In the Netherlands last summer, the Japanese duo Keijo Okada and Miho Yoshioka claimed an easy victory, demonstrating that they remain a dominant force in the 470 despite the switch to mixed teams in this Olympic cycle. Okada and Yoshioka also won in these waters a year ago at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar, so they couldn’t be in a better place to defend their world title.
Attention to the Germans
A year earlier, the 2022 World Championship in Israel also had a clear winner: the German team of Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth. But the 2023 season favored another German, particularly the couple formed by Malte and Anastasiya Winkel, and Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort, who always seem to be devastatingly fast in stronger winds, as expected this week in Mallorca. These three crews are still immersed in a battle for Olympic selection and will be one of the standout matchups of this World Championship.
France always presents a strong team at the 470 World Championship, especially this year as they are hosting the Olympics. Double Olympic medalist Camille Lecointre continues to show good progress with former men’s world champion Jérémie Mion on the wire, while promising talents Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Genes are also making waves.
Swedes Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson, European champions in 2022, haven’t been in their best form in the last season, but Dahlberg won the men’s silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and has the necessary experience to elevate his game for the big occasion.
United States Aiming for Olympic Spot
American Stu McNay returns to compete in the 470 with his new partner Lara Dallman-Weiss, aiming for his fifth Olympics. They find themselves in the unusual situation of having won the U.S. trials and earned their national spot for Paris 2024, except they still have to qualify the nation, making it a critical moment for this experienced team.
There are more teams to watch out for in this World Championship. The competition is wide open, and crews from Italy, Australia, Austria, or Brazil, among others, will demand attention.
The 470 World Championship will commence on Monday, February 26, with the official training race. Point distribution will begin at 12:00 on Tuesday, February 27. After three days of qualifying races and two days of Final Series, the top ten teams will vie for the title in the Medal Race on the sixth and final day of competition, Sunday, March 3.
En español: Jordi Xammar y Nora Brugman quieren ganar su primer Mundial
