Athanasios Kyfidis Storms Back as Ryan Lo Extends His Lead in Ireland

2026 ILCA 7 Men's Worlds race day 4

The second day of the Elimination Series got underway today at the 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship, with two new races added to the scoreboard. Racing started at 12:00 as scheduled, in around 9 knots of wind. Conditions through the day ranged 7–11 knots from the west, with near-flat water throughout. A rainy, cloudy morning gave way to a partially sunny afternoon for the last set of races.

Ryan Lo SGP, with a (24)-3, extended his overall lead to 13 points over his new closest pursuer, Michael Beckett GBR, who scored (11)-10. Both sailors posted their worst race of the day in the first race, and both have accumulated the same total of 61 points across the first nine races — 37 net points for Lo and 50 for Beckett. Jonatán Vadnai HUN, with 17-7, held on to third for a third consecutive day, sitting on 51 net points, just one behind Beckett.

Ryan Lo SGP explained how his day actually played out on the water:

“It’s much more tricky than it seems. Had a tough first race, and at the last minute I was thinking that the right was going to pay, but I didn’t really have the courage to back myself then. So I was caught in the middle on the first beat, and I had to spend a lot of the rest of the race catching up. Fortunately, for the second race I had the courage to back myself and, with a bit of luck, managed to get the left shift and had a good race.

I think the Asian level has been increasing over the last few years, and I’m really happy to see that so many Asian sailors are up there competing against the best in the world.”

Michael Beckett GBR broke down the tricky conditions and the state of the leaderboard:

“I always knew this was going to be a high-scoring event. With the nature of these conditions, everyone’s going to be chalking up some big numbers. So today, the first beats were particularly difficult. I probably struggled on both of them. Particularly the first one, I probably went around about late 30s. I counted like eight or nine boats behind me, so that was quite painful. And then I just had to keep plugging away. But today was the first day we’ve had offshore, and the range of shifts was enormous. There was just a bit of something for everyone. Lots of sea state, lots of seaweed. This event’s been really interesting in that no one’s really jumped out that early on. Looking at the results this morning, they’re really tight. There’s quite a decent number of seven or eight guys all within a very narrow number of points.”

Elliot Hanson GBR kept hold of fourth place on 65 points. Nicholas Halliday HKG (66 points) and Finley Dickinson GBR (71 points) sit fifth and sixth. Reigning two-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Wearn AUS moved into the top ten today, scoring 5th in the first race before a 28th in the second. Lorenzo Chiavarini ITA, Attilio Borio ITA and Tonci Stipanovic CRO round out the provisional top ten.

The sailor of the day was undoubtedly Athanasios Kyfidis GRE. Starting the day in 47th place, at the very back of the Gold Fleet, he pulled off a remarkable comeback, winning both races. He now sits 30th overall, with two more Elimination Series races to come before the Finals, where the top ten will contest the last two races to decide the champion.

A second discard will come into effect if a tenth race is completed tomorrow — though only one Elimination Series result can ever be excluded, so it would have to come from a Qualifying Series score. That could shake up the standings even further. The first warning signal is planned for 12:00.

You can follow the races live through the Tracking, and via Reels and Stories on our social media — check the “How to Follow” section below for all the links.

The event is organised by the National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club, in conjunction with ILCA. It is supported by premium sponsors Sport Ireland and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and associate sponsors Rooster, The Royal Marine Hotel, XOCEAN, and KPMG.

How to follow the championship / Useful links

Report by Agustín Argüelles – ILCA | Photos: Jordan Roberts – Down Under Sail.

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