The sailing scene is heating up in Palma de Maiorca, Spain, where the 54th Troféu Princesa Sofia is underway. Diogo Costa and Carolina João made a strong start, winning the first race in the mixed 470 class. They kicked off the new Olympic cycle with a bang, looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Their compatriots, Beatriz Gago and Rodolfo Pires, trail behind in 14th place. The German duo, Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort, are currently leading the pack. Costa and João’s day was going great after that first win, but they slipped to fourth in the second race – just one point shy of the top.
Mafalda Pires de Lima, a Paris 2024 Olympian, is back in the international spotlight with a 10th-place finish in the kitesurf competition. Her brother, Tomás Pires de Lima, is ranked 25th in the men’s event.
Other Portugal Standouts
Elsewhere,
- Emma Plasschaert from Belgium dominated the ILCA 6 class with two wins.
- Teresa Figenschou and Luísa Peres are ranked 104th and 106th, respectively.
- Lourenço Mateus started strong in the ILCA 7 class, coming in 72nd.
- João Pontes and Francisco Fonseca are also competing in the ILCA 7 class, ranked 95th and 96th.
- Ricardo Correia is 96th in the IQFoil event.
The Troféu Princesa Sofia will wrap up on Saturday.