Tamar Steinberg, 20, won the women's iQFOiL world title in Weymouth on Saturday, with fellow Israeli Sharon Kantor taking silver and a third Israeli, Daniela Peleg, finishing fourth.
Steinberg controlled the championship from the opening day. She began with four consecutive race wins, finished the qualification series in first place, and carried a match point into the Grand Final as a result. She needed only one race. Winning the opening final race gave her the second match point immediately and the world title with it.
Kantor led at the first mark of that race before Steinberg pushed past her. Australia's Stella Bilger took bronze.
Kantor's silver came at the end of an unusual climb. She sat 16th after the early stage of qualifying, moved up to second overall by the fourth day, and held the position through to the medal series. She is the reigning Olympic silver medallist from Paris 2024 and was world champion in 2024.
The title completes an exceptional year for Steinberg, who won the World Cup event in France in April and the European Championship in Portugal in May, and who took silver at last year's world championship. She said afterwards that she had been waiting a long time for the title and was thrilled it had finally come.
Conditions over the week were demanding. The fourth day of racing brought grey skies over Weymouth Bay, a westerly wind well above 15 knots and heavy chop, with 186 athletes competing across the two fleets. Steinberg posted 12-1-2-1 that day and extended her lead to 44 net points.
In the men's event, Luuc van Opzeeland of the Netherlands took the world title. Israel's Tom Reuveny, the Paris Olympic gold medallist, won his quarter-final to advance into the semi-final stage.
