Aimee Bright claims another windfoil medal
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
New Zealand windfoiler Aimee Bright has claimed silver at the Olympic Classes Regatta in Long Beach the same 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,
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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.
Bright, 20 is the daughter New Zealand sailing legend Barbara Kendall.