MATCH IN PINK DEFENDS NORDEA WOMEN’S TROPHY IN MARSTRAND
MARSTRAND, Sweden (July 5, 2026) — Pauline Courtois of France successfully defended the Nordea Women’s Trophy on Saturday, while American Chris Poole reclaimed the GKSS Match Cup Sweden title, bringing an exhilarating week of world-class match racing to a fitting conclusion on the waters of Marstrand.
Racing in a brisk 16-knot westerly breeze with gusts reaching 25 knots, the championship finals capped six days of spectacular competition that featured dramatic weather, packed spectator hillsides and some of the closest racing on the 2026 World Match Racing Tour.
Courtois and her Match in Pink crew of Maëlenn Lemaitre, Laurane Mettraux and Théa Khelif produced another commanding performance to retain the Nordea Women’s Trophy, defeating Sweden’s Martina Carlsson and Beyond Racing 3-1 in the championship final.
The victory makes Courtois the first skipper in recent years to successfully defend the Marstrand women’s title and further cements the French team’s reputation as one of the world’s leading match racing crews.
Carlsson entered the final as the regatta’s form skipper after an outstanding unbeaten run through the round robin and semifinals, winning nine consecutive races. But Courtois’ experience, tactical precision and composure under pressure proved decisive as she denied the Swedish team a dream home victory.
Earlier in the day, former champion Anna Östling and WINGS Sailing secured third place with a 2-0 victory over Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius and WOW Racing.
Poole Returns to the Top
In the Open division, Chris Poole and his Riptide Racing crew of Adam Minoprio, Mal Parker and Luke Payne reclaimed the GKSS Match Cup Sweden title with a convincing 3-1 victory over Sweden’s Oscar Engström and Liros Racing.
The triumph gives Poole his second Marstrand title, adding to the crown he first won in 2024, after an impressive comeback through the knockout rounds.
Following a steady start to the regatta, the American crew gathered momentum at exactly the right time, eliminating defending 2025 champion Jeppe Borch in the quarterfinals before overcoming France’s breakout skipper Ange Delerce in the semifinals and hometown favourite Engström in the championship match.
For Engström, runner-up was still the best result of his career in Marstrand. The Swedish skipper thrilled local supporters throughout the week after topping the round robin standings, earning direct passage to the semifinals and defeating fellow Swede Johnie Berntsson to reach his first Match Cup Sweden final.
Berntsson claimed third place by defeating France’s Ange Delerce 2-0 in the petit final.
For full results, see www.matchracingresults.com
2026 NORDEA Women’s Trophy Overall:
1 - 🇫🇷 Pauline Courtois, FRA Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
Crew: Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker , Laurane Mettraux, Thea Khelif
2 - 🇸🇪 Martina Carlsson, SWE Beyond Racing
Klara Utterström, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Hedvig Hedström
3 - 🇸🇪 Anna Östling, SWE WINGS – SWE
Anna Holmdahl White, Linnéa Wennergren , Svea Sahlin, Annika Carlunger
4 - 🇩🇰 Lea Vogelius, DEN WOW Racing
Joan Vestergaard Hansen, Josefine Boel Rasmussen , Lærke Nørgård, Julia Toroi
5 - 🇳🇱 Julia Aartsen, NED Team Out of the Box
Iris van Gerrevink , Eva Asbeek Brusse, Nerine Usman, Ismene Usman
6 - 🇫🇷 Julia D’Amodio, FRA Shark Caviar Racing
Roxane Perrot, Clara Bayol, Alice Chiappori, Lilou Ruat
7 - 🇺🇸 Caroline Bayless, USA, Team Something Chill
Katherine McNamara, Nora Ong, Emily Mueller, Caroline Keeffe-Jones
8 - 🇺🇸 Lindsey Baab, USA, Fog Racing
Kate Shiber, Elena VandenBerg, Helen Lord, Sally Mace
2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden Overall:
1 - 🇺🇸 Chris Poole, USA, Riptide Racing
Crew: Luke Payne, Mal Parker, Adam Minoprio
2 - 🇸🇪 Oscar Engström, SWE, Liros Racing
Crew: Rasmus Alnebeck. Emil Wolfgang. Filip Karlsson
3 - 🇸🇪 Johnie Berntsson, SWE, Berntsson Sailing Team
Crew: Herman Andersson, Patrik Sturesson, Anton Karlsson
4 - 🇫🇷 Ange Delerce, FRA, 2003_Sailing Team
Crew: Julia D’Amodio, Thomas Flachon,, Jean Picard, Sylvestre De Giuli Morghen
5 - 🇸🇪 Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Hansen Sailing Team
Crew: Nils Bjerkås, Oskar Ljung, Emil Forsgren
6 - 🇦🇺 Cole Tapper, AUS, Kairos Racing
Crew: Jack Frewin, Ollie Gilmour, Hamish Vass
7 - 🇩🇰 Jeppe Borch, DEN, Borch Match Racing
Crew: Sebastian Olsen, Thor Malthe Andersen, Matias Rossing
8 - 🇫🇷 Aurélien Pierroz, FRA, Match in Black
Crew: Sébastien Riot, Kenza Coutard, Camille Pfaff, Aristide Delin
9 - 🇨🇭 Eric Monnin, SUI, Swiss Match Racing Team
Crew: Cyril Schüpbach, Ute Monnin-Wagner, Simon Brúgger
10 - 🇫🇷 Ian Garreta, FRA, Med Racing
Crew: Thibaut Demai, Pierre Garreta, Amandine Le Van Jacob, Calixte Benoit
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 2026:
Stage 1 – KDY Women’s Match Race, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Rungsted, Denmark, 7-10 May - DS 37
Stage 2 – Santa Maria Cup, Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis, USA, 3-6 June - J/22
Stage 3 – Nordea Womens Trophy – Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden, 29 June – 4 July - Fareast 28R
Stage 5 – WWMRT FINAL AMAALA, Saudi Arabia, TBC November - J/70
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
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