Spain's Los Gallos win SailGP Portsmouth final as Germany's near-capsize costs them a finals berth
Diego Botin's Spanish crew won the eighth event of the sixth SailGP season in Portsmouth on Sunday, while the Germany team recovered from a near-capsize on Saturday to claim a consolation race win but finished 10th overall.
Spain's Los Gallos won the eighth event of the sixth SailGP season on Sunday in Portsmouth, beating Sweden, Canada and Switzerland in a four-way final. The 2024 season champions, led by 49er Olympic gold medallist Diego Botin, prevailed on a windy two-day British summit that saw three pre-event favourites fail to reach the final.
German near-capsize and Sunday redemption
The Germany SailGP Team eliminated itself from final contention with a weak opening day and a dramatic near-capsize on Saturday. Driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his crew briefly lost control of their F50 racing catamaran after coordination problems, before managing to right the boat under their own power. On Sunday, the black-red-gold crew delivered a textbook race win after a lightning start, but the performance was too late to salvage more than 10th place among 13 teams and a single point towards the season standings.
It was not the best event for us overall.
- Near-capsize after coordination problems; crew loses control of F50 catamaran before righting it under own power
- Germany wins a race after a lightning start, but finishes 10th among 13 teams with one championship point
- Next SailGP event in Sassnitz on Rügen, Germany
Championship race tightens
Australia's Bonds Flying Roos defended their overall lead with 66 points despite finishing seventh in Portsmouth. Los Gallos closed the gap to 12 points with 54, while Sweden's Artemis team holds third on 47 points. Kosegarten-Heil's Germany dropped to eighth place with 28 points, with five race weekends remaining in the season.
- Australia
- 66
- Spain
- 54
- Sweden
- 47
Favourites shut out of final
The windy conditions and competitive fleet produced an unpredictable weekend. Australia's record champions, New Zealand's Black Foils, and the British hosts all missed the final, an outcome that reshuffled the championship picture. Spain capitalized where the frontrunners could not, collecting maximum points from the event.
Next stop: Sassnitz
The SailGP season resumes on 22 and 23 August in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen, Germany. Kosegarten-Heil, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, said the venue holds positive memories.
We are looking forward to it. That was incredible last year and a turning point.
