The Nacra València Cup is heading for a dramatic finale as Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco lead Sweden’s Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson by just one point after a packed penultimate day of racing at the Real Club Náutico de Valencia. With the title, the bronze medal, and a top-ten shake-up all still to be decided, Saturday’s final races promise edge-of-seat sailing.
Four races were completed on Friday after the race committee made the strategic decision to extend the programme beyond the three originally scheduled. Favourable conditions, with winds averaging 12 knots from 240°, allowed the fleet to bank an extra race ahead of Saturday, when forecasters predicted highly unfavourable light winds. Saturday’s first warning signal has been brought forward to 10:30 a.m. as a result.
Majdalani and Bosco thrived in the conditions off València, posting finishes of 3-1-1-3 across the four races. Back-to-back victories in races eight and nine proved decisive, propelling the Argentine crew back to the top of the provisional standings on 27 points. The sea state and breeze appeared to suit the Paris 2024 silver medallists perfectly, and they capitalised in style.
Järudd and Jonsson, meanwhile, recorded 2-3-5-5 on the day. Two consecutive fifth-place finishes to close out Friday’s racing cost the Swedish pair the lead they had held overnight, although at 28 points they remain firmly in contention. With just one point separating the top two crews, the title is genuinely up for grabs heading into the final day.
The battle for bronze is equally compelling. New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart sit third overall on 51 points, five clear of Sweden’s Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammar on 56. Wilkinson and Stewart had a mixed day with finishes of 1-15-3-12, their 15th place in Race 8 falling as their discard. Svensson and Dackhammar posted 5-10-10-4, with a strong fourth in the final race keeping the pressure on the New Zealanders and the podium fight wide open.
Among the Spanish contingent, the Catalan sibling crew of Dani and Nora García de la Casa, representing Club Nàutic El Masnou, will head into the final day aiming to claw back into the top ten. They have slipped one place to 11th on 87 points, just one point behind Australia’s Ruben and Rita Booth in tenth on 86. Their finishes of 10-13-13-6 left them within striking distance, and the narrow points gap keeps their chances very much alive.
The top ten after Friday’s racing stands as follows: Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco of Argentina lead on 27 points, followed by Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson of Sweden on 28, Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart of New Zealand on 51, Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammar of Sweden on 56, Sinem Kurtbay and Alican Kaynar of Turkey on 61, Laura Farese and Matthäus Zöchling of Austria on 63, Lukas Haberl and Clara Stamminger of Austria on 76, Stephan Baker and Sophia Fisher of the United States on 78, Martineau Clément and Clabon Eloïse of France on 84, and Ruben Booth and Rita Booth of Australia on 86.
The Nacra València Cup concludes on Saturday with the final day of racing off València. With Argentina and Sweden separated by a single point at the top, the bronze medal battle unresolved between New Zealand and Sweden, and the García de la Casa siblings fighting for the top ten, the closing races of this international Olympic-class sailing event will decide everything.
