2026 Olympic Classes Regatta: New Zealand windfoil star Aimee Bright wins iQFOiL silver medal at Los Angeles 2028 Olympic venue

Aimee Bright cut short the sailing adventure of a lifetime with her family to chase another international podium — and the sacrifice could hardly have paid off better.

The fast-rising Kiwi windfoiler has claimed silver at the Olympic Classes Regatta in Long Beach, finishing runner-up against one of the strongest women's iQFOiL fields assembled this season, at the very venue that will host sailing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The result gives Bright her second major international silver medal in as many months, backing up her breakthrough podium at the iQFOiL European Championships in Portugal in late May, and continues New Zealand's remarkable run of international success across Olympic and youth classes over the past week.

Last Friday, Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley were crowned female under-19 world champions as New Zealand claimed the Nations Cup at the 29er World Championships in Germany. Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush then successfully defended their 49er European title on Monday, having become the youngest 49er world champions in history in May. A few hours later, wingfoiler Sean Herbert won silver at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup in Italy — the first World Cup medal of his burgeoning career.

Aimee Bright finished second after a dramatic medal race on Friday. Photo / Bruce Crary

On Friday afternoon, Bright finished second in the Long Beach medal race, behind only Britain's Emma Wilson — the reigning world champion and double Olympic medallist — after another composed and consistent regatta.

The 20-year-old Aucklander, daughter of Kiwi Olympic windsurfing great Barbara Kendall, won three qualifying races and secured second overall heading into the medal series, advancing directly to the winner-takes-all final alongside Wilson. She held her position when it mattered most, to confirm another career-best performance.

The Olympic Classes Regatta marks the halfway point of the Los Angeles Olympic cycle and gave sailors one of their first opportunities to race on the waters that will stage the Olympic sailing competition in 2028.

"It was a really fun regatta, and I had a really good time," Bright said. "It's super cool having heaps of Kiwis over here and having a good team. It was quite light for most of the week, but we managed to race every discipline — course racing, slalom and sprint racing. It's really cool to be racing and training alongside the best girls in the world."

Bright finished second in a dramatic medal race, where light conditions tested her and Wilson to their physical limit, with both sailors spending almost the entire race pumping their sails simply to stay foiling.

"It was definitely one of the toughest races I've ever done," Bright said. "Emma and I were the only two who hit the start on time, and we basically had to pump the whole first reach. I rounded the first mark in front, but I was so exhausted that she got past me on the downwind.

"By the finish we'd both fallen off the foil and were desperately trying to get across the line. It was incredibly challenging but also really fun. I was absolutely puffed afterwards.

The latest podium continues what has quickly become a breakout season for one of New Zealand's brightest prospects.

Bright believes much of that progress has come from training every day alongside fellow Kiwi internationals Veerle ten Have, who made her Olympic debut in Marseille in 2024, and under-23 world champion Stella Bilger.

"I think what's elevated me has definitely been my training partners," Bright said. "We push each other so much. We're travelling the world together, staying together and competing against the best girls in the world almost every week. I think it's all that time training and racing at the highest level that's made everything start to click."

Bright has now claimed silver medals at two major international regattas this season. Photo / Simone Staff

Despite her rapid rise, Bright insists she is trying not to look too far ahead.

"My season's going pretty well so far, and I'm just having a good time," she said. "I've got really good training partners, and I'm trying to enjoy it and have a good life balance rather than making everything too intense. I just take it competition by competition. I always want to leave everything out on the race course, because I never want to finish a regatta thinking I had something left in the tank."

Only days before racing began in Long Beach, Bright was sailing from New Zealand to Fiji with her parents and sister aboard a family friend's catamaran — fulfilling a lifelong dream before flying straight to California.

"It was something I'd always wanted to do," Bright said. "We spent six days sailing to Minerva Reef before reaching Fiji. Unfortunately, I only had about 24 hours there before I had to fly here for racing.

"I got pretty seasick, and you definitely go a little bit crazy living in such a confined space for that long, but it was incredibly special. We hadn't all travelled together as a family for years, so I'm really glad I got to do it."

While another silver medal confirms her emergence among the world's windfoiling elite, Bright believes there is still plenty of room for improvement.

"You can always get better," she said. "You never stop learning, and there's always something to work on. Fitness is probably one area, because a couple of times I've emptied the tank during the week and had nothing left in the final races."

New Zealand enjoyed strong results throughout the iQFOiL fleet in Long Beach. Ten Have finished ninth and Stella Bilger 10th in the women's competition, while Eli Liefting placed eighth in the men's fleet. Josh Armit finished 15th after narrowly missing the medal series, with Blake Hinsley 30th.

In the Formula Kite competition, Lukas Walton-Keim finished 15th, Toby Wigglesworth was 25th, and Lucy Bilger placed 18th.

Final results and standings here.