The strait shines at the X-15 World Championships in Ibiza, with Oberemko crowned Masters +35 champion and Leo Zabell on the Under-19 podium

The first X-15 World Championships, held from 4 to 8 November in Ibiza, have proved a great success for athletes linked to the Strait of Gibraltar. Maksym Oberemko was crowned world champion in the Masters +35 category, whilst China’s Yana Li, who trains alongside him in the waters off La Línea, claimed the women’s Under-19 title. Leo Zabell and Martín Medina both finished third in the Under-19 and Under-17 categories respectively, whilst Ángel Medina finished thirteenth in the senior category.

The competition, organised by Club Mare Nostrum at Port Nàutic Ibiza, brought together 107 participants from 24 countries to compete in the first World Championships for this new one-design wingfoil class. The championship was marked by inconsistent wind conditions, which limited the races in the senior categories and meant the junior events could only be completed on the final day.

Maksym Oberemko, World Champion in the Masters +35 category and eighth overall

One of the standout performers of the championship was Maksym Oberemko, a sailor affiliated with the Real Club Náutico de La Línea and a resident of Algeciras, who was crowned world champion in the Masters +35 category.

The six-time Olympian, who competes under the Spanish flag, also achieved a magnificent eighth place in the overall men’s senior standings, out of 38 competitors, with 11.5 points across the two races held.

His international experience and his ability to adapt to new foil disciplines continue to place him amongst the leading figures in wind sports. Oberemko demonstrates that experience and technique remain decisive factors at the very highest level.

Yana Li, U19 world champion who trains in La Línea

Another of the World Championships’ major successes has a direct link to the Campo de Gibraltar. Chinese sailor Yana Li has been crowned women’s Under-19 world champion after staging a spectacular comeback in Ibiza.

Li began the competition with a disqualification for a false start, but managed to win the next two races, which were enough to secure the title with a two-point lead, ahead of France’s Anae Rio and Norway’s Ane Fiskvik Mjoen.

What is particularly significant for our region is that Yana Li trains alongside Maksym Oberemko in the waters off La Línea de la Concepción, making the La Línea coastline one of the training grounds for a new world champion.

Oberemko and Li’s titles represent a major sporting accolade for the Strait region, whose wind and sailing conditions attract international athletes from various disciplines.

Leo Zabell, third in the Under-19 World Championships

The young sailor Leo Zabell Blanco, from the Andalusian Sailing Federation, has achieved one of the most outstanding results for the Spanish team by finishing third in the men’s Under-19 category.

Zabell finished with 15 net points after four races, discarding his worst result and recording placings of ninth, third, fifth and seventh. Only the American Holland Vierling, the world champion, and the Frenchman Baptiste Loire, the runner-up, finished ahead of him.

This third-place finish confirms the progress made by the young Andalusian sailor, who had already demonstrated his potential with his Under-19 victory in the X-15 WingFoil Racing Series in Portimão.

Martín Medina, third in the Under-17 category

Martín Medina Rein, from Real Club El Candado and affiliated with Sportlink Tarifa, also made it onto the podium in his category, finishing third in the Under-17s.

Martín finished fourteenth overall in the combined Under-19/Under-17 standings, with 38 net points, but his result amongst competitors of his own age saw him take third place in the Under-17 category, behind Hungary’s Botond Virag and Colombia’s Jean Paul Liechti.

The result marks yet another international success for the young athlete, who continues to establish himself amongst the rising stars of wingfoil racing. His participation in Ibiza follows a season in which he also excelled in the Spanish Cup held in Torrevieja.

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Ángel Medina, thirteenth in the senior category

The line-up representing our region was rounded off by another outstanding performance from Ángel Medina Rodríguez, of Real Club El Candado and affiliated with OZU Tarifa.

Medina finished thirteenth in the overall men’s senior standings, with 17.5 points, placing him amongst the top fifteen in a field of 38 competitors.

Coming from iQFOiL and currently adapting to competitive wingfoil, Ángel continues to demonstrate his ability to compete at the highest level in the new foil sailing disciplines.

The results achieved by Leo Zabell, Martín Medina and Ángel Medina confirm the excellent form of athletes associated with Andalusian sailing and the Strait region, where the new generations find exceptional conditions for their training.

The Strait consolidates its presence amongst the international elite of wingfoiling

The first X-15 World Championships have been a particularly positive experience for the sporting community in the Strait of Gibraltar. The titles won by Maksym Oberemko and Yana Li, alongside the third-place finishes by Leo Zabell and Martín Medina and the outstanding performance by Ángel Medina, reflect the calibre of the athletes who compete and train in our region.

La Línea, Tarifa and the Bay of Algeciras continue to establish themselves as prime venues for wind and foil sports, bringing together promising young talents and athletes with Olympic experience.

With the launch of the X-15 class and its commitment to equal equipment standards, wingfoiling is entering a new international era in which the Strait already boasts some leading figures.

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