Individual · Portsmouth and Sassnitz
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.
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In brief
Los Gallos, the 2024 season champions led by Diego Botin, beat Sweden, Canada and Switzerland in the four-way final at the eighth event of the sixth SailGP season.
Driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his crew lost control of their F50 catamaran due to coordination problems before righting it under their own power, derailing their final hopes.
The Bonds Flying Roos top the season standings with 66 points, followed by Spain (54 points) and Sweden's Artemis (47 points). Germany sits eighth with 28 points.
Australia, New Zealand's Black Foils, and the British hosts all failed to qualify for the final in Portsmouth, reshuffling the championship picture.
- SaturdayNear-capsize after coordination problems; crew loses control of F50 catamaran before righting it under own power
- SundayGermany wins a race after a lightning start, but finishes 10th among 13 teams with one championship point
- 22 AugNext SailGP event in Sassnitz on Rügen, Germany
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.”
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
Data from the article text
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.”
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Sources and context
- Diego Botin
- 49er Olympic gold medallist and driver of Spain's Los Gallos, the 2024 SailGP season champions who won the Portsmouth event
- Erik Kosegarten-Heil
- Driver of the Germany SailGP Team and two-time Olympic bronze medallist whose crew nearly capsized on Saturday before winning a race on Sunday
- Places
- Portsmouth
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