TEAMS BATTLE CHALLENGING CONDITIONS AS RACING RUNS INTO SUNSET IN CHICAGO
Chicago, USA (18 September 2025) – The second day of racing at the 2025 World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship on Lake Michigan presented challenging conditions for the twelve competing teams as a gradual easterly breeze created a sloppy short swell on the course. France’s Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink Team found their stride to finish their second day undefeated with seven wins as the sun set over the Chicago skyline.
Race officials worked diligently to keep the program moving throughout the day as the breeze shifted throughout the afternoon. Completing eleven flights of the opening round-robin stage, the day’s final matches unfolded against a spectacular backdrop as the sun dipped behind the Chicago skyline.
“Today looked encouraging when we looked at weather reports this morning” added race officer Darcy Cook. “Unfortunately, we ended up having a haze cover which didn’t allow the city to warm up, but we were able to move the course a mile offshore where the breeze was stronger. Tomorrow looks better hopefully with a southerly wind direction, although it may also bring a difficult wave state as the wind changes direction.’
Levelled with Courtois on seven wins is New Zealand’s Megan Thomson (2.0 Racing), but Thomson also carries two losses against Courtois and Dutch Team Out of the Box skippered by Julia Aartsen. Sweden’s Anna Östling and the WINGS Sailing Team finished the day with six wins and two losses.
Elsewhere in the field, New Zealand’s Celia Willison/ Edge Women’s Match, France’s Julia D’Amodio/ Shark Caviar Team and Kenza Coutard/ CKAFEW Racing Team have so far struggled to find their form in Chicago with the three teams each finishing the second day on a single win and five losses. Tomorrow’s final matches in the qualifying round-robin stage will be crucial to ensure they can make the cut to the quarter-final and stay in the competition.
Racing continues tomorrow from 1030 local time.
Results after Day 1 (ties not broken):
1. FRA Pauline Courtois 7–0 100%
2. NZL Megan Thomson. 7–2 78%
3. SWE Anna Östling 6–2 75%
4. AUS Juliet Costanzo 5–2 71%
4. DEN Lea Richter Vogelius 5.5–2 69%
6. USA Nicole Breault 4–4 50%
7. NED Julia Aartsen 2–4 33%
8. DEN Kristine Mauritzen 2–5 29%
9. SWE Martina Carlsson 2–6 25%
10. NZL Celia Willison 1–5 17%
11. FRA Julia D’Amodio 1–5 14%
11. FRA Kenza Coutard 1–6 14%
For live results, follow https://womenswmrt.com/live-results/
For images, visit https://gallery.hannahleenoll.com/2025-womens-match/
For enquiries, contact info@wmrt.com
Women’s Match Racing World Championship Competitors:
Julia Aartsen, Team Out of the Box, NED
(Crew: Eva Asbeek Brusse, Ismene Usman, Nerine Usman, Saar Van Bemmel)
Nicole Breault, Vela Racing, USA
(Crew: Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer, Dana Riley Hayes, McKenzie Wilson, Hailey Thompson)
Martina Carlsson, Beyond Racing, SWE
(Crew: Svea Sahlin, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Hedvig Hedström)
Juliet Costanzo, Easy Tiger Racing, AUS
(Crew: Sarah Parker, Rachel Bower, Katie Pellew, Alice Parker)
Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite, FRA
(Crew: Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet, Laurane Mettraux)
Kenza Coutard, CKAFEW Racing Team
(Crew: Elena Circiello-Vaillant, Amandine Le Van Jacob, Chloé Le Roux, Flavie Foucher)
Julia D’Amodio, Shark Caviar Team, FRA
(Crew: Alice Chiappori, Valentine Lauret, Roxane Perrot, Manon Pennanec’h)
Kristine Mauritzen, Those Seagulls, DEN
(Crew: Emilie Nordby, Katrine Ejlev, Maria Reinhold, Julia Toroi)
Megan Thomson, 2.0 Racing, NZL
(Crew: Tiana Wittey, Josi Andres, Charlotte Porter, Hattie Rogers)
Lea Richter Vogelius, WOW Racing, DEN
(Crew: Joan Hansen, Annette Srøm, Anne Sofie Munk-Hansen, Josefine Boel Rasmussen)
Celia Willison, Edge Women’s Match, NZL
(Crew: Clare Costanzo, Phoebe Buckland, Serena Woodall, Ruby Scholten)
Anna Östling, WINGS Sailing, SWE
(Crew: Linnéa Wennergren, Annie Saeedfar Wennergren, Annika Carlunger, Karin Knigge)
For more updates and information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour and event documents, visit womenswmrt.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (@womenswmrt), Instagram(@womenswmrt) and X (Twitter) (@womenswmrt)
Women’s World Match Racing Tour 2025 Schedule:
Stage 1 Casa Vela Cup, San Francisco USA, 28-31 May
Stage 2 Santa Maria Cup, Annapolis USA, 4-7 June
Stage 4. Nordea Women’s Trophy – Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, 30 June – 5 July
Stage 5. Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Chicago, 17-20 September
Stage 6. Bermuda Women’s Match Race, Bermuda, 21-26 October
*Dates listed race days only
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com
womenswmrt.com
