2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships, Day 4: New Zealand's Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush seize overall lead in men's skiff in Quiberon
Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have surged into the overall lead at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships in France, capping another outstanding day for the rising men's skiff team as the regatta entered the decisive gold fleet phase in Quiberon.
Menzies and Lee Rush produced yet another composed and clinical performance on day four of the championship, posting scores of 5, 8 and 2 to move four points clear at the top of the 49er standings and put themselves firmly on course for a maiden world title in the men’s skiff class.
The defending European champions handled the Bay of Quiberon’s shifty northwesterly breeze with a maturity that belied their age, thriving in a tactical contest that replaced the survival-style racing seen earlier in the week.
"It was tricky racing for everyone with the breeze changing around quite a bit, but we’re happy with how the day went," Lee Rush said.
“Conditions today were quite shifty and funky, and it was a lot lighter than the last few days."
Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have taken the overall lead in the 49er competition after four days of the world championships in France. Photos / Sailing Energy
The breakthrough performance came on the first day of finals racing, where consistency proved critical on a racecourse that rewarded sharp decision-making and precise boat handling.
Menzies said strong starts had been central to the Kiwi crew’s rise to the top of the leaderboard.
“The biggest work on today was our starts,” he said. “In gold fleet, it’s really hard if you don’t have a good start because everyone is so good, and to pass people is really hard. That will be the main thing we’ll be focusing on.”
Their final race of the day was one of the most dramatic of the regatta thus far. Locked in a battle for victory with Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger, the Kiwis were forced to complete a 360-degree penalty turn just metres from the finish line. Even with the costly manoeuvre, they recovered to finish second and secure the overall championship lead.
Australians Harry Price and Max Paul sit second overall, while Schultheis and Rieger are third heading into the penultimate day of fleet racing.
Elsewhere in the 49er gold fleet, fellow New Zealanders Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn climbed one place to 24th overall after posting results of 12, 21 and 16.
Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan enjoyed their best day of the regatta in the silver fleet, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in race two, lifting them to 33rd overall and into the top 10 of the silver fleet standings.
Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren are 49th overall and 24th in the same fleet.
Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn sit 24th overall in the 49er fleet. Photos / Sailing Energy
In the 49erFX competition, Auckland sisters Nicola and Rebecca Hume continued their steady rise through the fleet. The pair are now 36th overall in the 52-boat fleet and closing on a top-10 silver fleet position after recording their first top-10 race finish of the regatta in the final race of the day.
Olympic bronze medallist Micah Wilkinson and new crew Kate Stewart are 19th overall in the Nacra 17 fleet after another solid day in the foiling class.
Day four marked a dramatic shift in racing style across the championship. After a bruising previous day filled with capsizes and crashes, sailors instead faced a sophisticated tactical battle in an oscillating 8-18 knot breeze where positioning and split-second decisions proved decisive.
With only two days remaining before the medal races, forecast shifts in wind direction over the coming days are expected to create an entirely new tactical challenge as Menzies and Lee Rush chase a breakthrough world championship title.
Latest results and standings here.
Click here to watch the racing live.
Related news
An early taste of conditions for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games has given New Zealand’s sailing squad plenty of encouragement, with Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn leading the Kiwi charge at the Olympic Classes Regatta in San Pedro.
New Zealand’s Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn have strengthened their medal hopes at the Olympic Classes Regatta in San Pedro, delivering a standout performance on the future LA 2028 Olympic waters.
New Zealand's sailors are closing in on places in the Olympic Classes Regatta medal series, with four crews sitting within striking distance of the top 10 heading into the final stretch of qualifying in San Pedro.
