2026 ILCA 6 Youth World Championship: Rising New Zealand star Chloe Turner claims second major medal in a month with bronze in Denmark

Kiwi ILCA 6 sailor Chloe Turner has claimed her second major international medal in less than a month, securing bronze at the ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, after a strong finish to the six-day regatta.

The 17-year-old Aucklander sealed third overall with two top-five results in her final three gold fleet races, edging Czechia's Beata Dokoupilova for a podium spot. Greece's Hermionie Ghicas won the world title, with Ireland's Sienna Wright taking silver.

Turner's latest podium comes just three weeks after she won bronze at the ILCA 6 Youth European Championships in Greece – her first under-19 international silverware.

"I'm stoked to medal at back-to-back events, especially as the venues offered completely different sailing conditions," Turner said. "Greece was very light and variable, while this week we had cold and shifty conditions. To be consistent at both events shows that I'm making gains, which is really encouraging.

"You don't always get to see those gains back in New Zealand when you're training against smaller numbers. It's when you go overseas and compete against the big fleets that you really see the progress. It's great to see that the hard work back in New Zealand is starting to pay off."

Chloe Turner and coach Tom Saunders after the young Aucklander claimed bronze in Aarhus. Photos / Peter Brogger, ILCA

The Aarhus fleet was one of the biggest Turner has faced, with 122 sailors from 35 nations competing in the women's championship. 

Turner has been building her race craft alongside New Zealand's wider ILCA 6 squad, led by former Olympian Sara Winther, with a particular focus on fleet management – including starting, strategy and boat-on-boat tactics. She has also been spending significant time on the water with coach Tom Saunders, a Paris 2024 Olympian and former ILCA 7 world champion. That work is now producing results on the international stage.

Turner was crowned the ILCA 6 under-17 women's world champion in Los Angeles last summer.

"This result is a significant achievement in an incredibly tough event and reflects not only Chloe's hard work but the huge support and commitment from her family," said Geoff Woolley, Yachting New Zealand's High Performance Athlete Development Manager.

"What makes it even more exciting is that Chloe still has another year of youth sailing ahead of her, and we're looking forward to continuing to work closely with her and the ILCA 6 squad as we build towards the Youth World Championships in Vilamoura later this year."

Turner has won back-to-back international medals over the past month. Photos / Peter Brogger, ILCA

The final day in Aarhus presented another stern test, with changing conditions throughout the championship forcing sailors to adapt to everything from light and shifty winds to stronger breeze. Ghicas entered the final day with just a one-point advantage over Wright but stamped her authority on the championship by winning all three gold fleet races to secure the world title. Behind her, Wright held on for silver while Turner completed the podium.

The championship brought together 429 young sailors from 45 nations across the men's and women's fleets. New Zealand also had a strong presence in the boys' fleet, with more than 300 boats competing across the championship.

Tom Pilkington led the Kiwi contingent, finishing 16th overall after making the gold fleet, with Arran Begic 41st and Toby Dunn 64th. Isaac Gaites finished 100th overall and Thomas Linklater 127th after competing in the silver fleet, while George Turner placed 170th, Lukas Johnson 175th and Thomas Jurczyluk 188th overall, finishing the regatta in the bronze fleet.

Final results and standings here.