New Zealand’s windfoiling squad has wrapped up a commanding campaign at the IQFOiL Class North American Championships, delivering a raft of podium finishes at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Los Angeles that underline the depth and ambition of the programme heading toward the next Olympic cycle.
Josh Armit led the charge in the men’s fleet, claiming a silver medal after finishing just two points shy of the overall title. Armit, who has been a cornerstone of New Zealand’s IQFOiL campaign since the class was adopted as the Olympic windsurfing discipline ahead of Paris 2024, continues to prove himself among the world’s elite foiling sailors. Teammate Eli Liefting was right in the mix in fourth place, while Blake Hinsley rounded out a strong Kiwi showing with a top-seven result.
Women’s Fleet Decided by a Single Point
The women’s competition produced one of the regatta’s most compelling storylines, as New Zealand teammates Veerle ten Have and Aimee Bright went head to head in a contest that came down to the wire. Ten Have edged ahead in the final race to clinch silver by just one point over Bright, a margin that speaks to both sailors’ consistency and competitiveness across the series. Stella Bilger finished 11th, with Daniella Wooldridge placing 14th — results that highlight the emerging depth behind the team’s leading pair.
The tight battle between ten Have and Bright is a promising sign for New Zealand selectors. Internal competition of this calibre has historically been a hallmark of successful Olympic sailing programmes, pushing athletes to raise their performance in training and on the racecourse alike.
Youth Fleet Triumph for Finn Davies
The next generation of Kiwi windfoilers made an emphatic statement as well. Finn Davies dominated the youth fleet, winning six of the ten races contested to claim the title in convincing fashion. Elbe White added to the New Zealand medal haul with a second-place finish overall. Davies’s commanding performance suggests New Zealand’s IQFOiL pipeline is producing world-class talent capable of stepping up to senior competition in the coming years.
Building on Olympic Waters
The North American Championships capped off a broader Los Angeles training block that also included the Olympic Classes Regatta, sailed on the same waters that will host competition at the 2028 Olympic Games. At that event, Aimee Bright claimed silver, ten Have finished ninth, Bilger placed 10th, and Liefting was eighth in the men’s fleet.
The opportunity to race and train extensively on the LA 2028 Olympic venue is invaluable. Understanding the wind patterns, current, and sea state at Alamitos Bay and the surrounding Long Beach waters will be a critical advantage for any nation with serious Olympic ambitions. For New Zealand, logging hours in these conditions two years out from the Games is a deliberate and strategic investment.
IQFOiL and the Road to LA 2028
The IQFOiL class has rapidly established itself as one of the most physically demanding and tactically complex disciplines in Olympic sailing. Riders reach speeds in excess of 30 knots on hydrofoil-equipped boards, combining raw athleticism with sharp tactical instincts in fleet racing formats that reward consistency over heroics.
New Zealand has a proud windsurfing heritage at the Olympic level, and the transition to foiling has been embraced with characteristic Kiwi enthusiasm. The results from this Los Angeles block — multiple podium finishes across men’s, women’s, and youth fleets — suggest the programme is tracking well as the LA 2028 qualification cycle begins to take shape.
With a deep squad capable of pushing each other daily in training and a clear commitment to learning the Olympic venue early, the New Zealand windfoiling team is positioning itself as one of the programmes to watch in the buildup to the next Games.
