RMYC Sailing School’s Samantha Axisa claimed her first major international achievement at the 2026 ILCA 4 Youth European Championships, qualifying for the Gold Fleet after having finished in the Top 10 Girls (U16) in the qualifying races. She placed 55th overall in a highly competitive fleet of 168 sailors.
The championship was held in Los Alcázares, Mar Menor, Spain, and delivered an outstanding week of racing marked by excellent organisation and consistently favourable sailing conditions. The event concluded on 19 April after six demanding days of competition, with the full 12-race series completed across a wide range of challenging conditions — from strong winds to very light and shifty breezes.
On the final day, sailors were met with a light but steady breeze of 7 to 10 knots, enabling the race committee to run the two scheduled races and bring the championship to a clean finish.
A special mention goes to Philippa Bartolo Parnis, who made her debut at a major international event and finished 142nd overall — a commendable result at this level of competition.
Malta was represented by a strong contingent that competed with commitment and determination throughout the week.
The boys faced a challenging opening series, with a number of penalties affecting their qualification and resulting in Bronze Fleet placements. They responded with resilience in the final series, producing solid performances that included a fleet race win:
- Thomas Wilson (MYSC) – 131st
- Michael Cremona (MYSC) – 136th
- Luca Scicluna (BSC) – 169th
- Ian Wang (MYSC) – 215th
- Maxim Juskevic (RMYC) – 254th
Overall, this event provided a solid step forward for Malta’s young sailors and valuable experience gained at a high-level international competition.
Team Malta extended its thanks to the Maltese Olympic Committee, Sport Malta and the Malta Sailing Federation for their continued support.
