Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris have been crowned 470 world champions in Enoshima, Japan, completing an incredible season of success for the British partnership.
Wrigley and Harris claimed their first world title, building on a remarkable run of form that has seen them win the European title in Vilamoura in February, followed by a victory on LA28 Olympic waters at the San Pedro OCR last month.
Heading into the final day’s two medal races, Wrigley and Harris held a narrow eight-point lead over defending champions and long-time rivals Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona. Their advantage was cut after a seventh-place finish in the first race, however, the British duo put on a clinic in light winds to win the race and claim the overall title.
Teammates and training partners Hannah Bristow and James Taylor also delivered a great week of sailing to finish sixth overall, narrowly missing out on a medal in a tightly contested fleet.
Speaking after being crowned world champions, Wrigley said: “Winning a world championship is something you dream about, and to do it together with Bettine makes it incredibly special. We’ve built a huge amount of trust over the last few years and learnt how to get the best out of each other, particularly when the pressure is on. To see that work come together and become world champions is an amazing feeling, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved as a team.”
The 470 is a high-performance two-person dinghy, renowned for its combination of speed, technical precision and close teamwork. Designed in the 1960s, it made its Olympic debut at Montreal 1976 and has been a mainstay of the Games ever since. Since Tokyo 2020, the 470 has been sailed as a mixed-gender event, bringing a new dimension to the class.
Harris added: “Becoming world champions is an incredible feeling, and it’s something Martin and I have worked so hard for. We’ve been through a lot together since we started this partnership, and the trust and belief we have in each other is a huge part of why we’ve been able to achieve this. We also couldn’t have done it without Gidi and the support, and belief from everyone at British Sailing as well as everyone else back home who has cheered us on over the years!”
Martin and Bettine will defend their world title next June at the World Sailing Championships in Gdynia, Poland. This will also be the first chance to secure Great Britain a place in the 470 class at the LA 2028 Olympics.
The result marks the start of a potentially historic few weeks for British Sailing. Andy Brown and Emma Wilson will both defend their world titles on home waters as Weymouth & Portland will host the iQFOiL World Championships from 7-12 September, marking the first time the UK will stage a major championship in the class and the first Olympic windsurfing world title event on British waters since 2009. There are also with strong medal hopes in both the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes at their upcoming world championships in Ireland.
