Chicago, IL (20 September 2025) – Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team from Le Havre in France have once again proven their dominance in the sport of match racing, capturing their fifth consecutive World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship title in Chicago. The French skipper and her crew Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet and Laurane Mettraux defeated New Zealand’s Megan Thomson and her 2.0 Racing Team 2-1 in a first-to-two points final. Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius and her WOW Sailing team finished third.
The 2025 World Championship, hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club, brought together 12 all-female teams representing seven nations for four days of fiercely competitive racing. Courtois and team entered the Chicago event as the team to beat, having already secured world titles in 2021 (Cherbourg), 2022 (Auckland, NZL), 2023 (Middelfart, DEN), and with her most recent triumph coming last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After winning the qualifying round-robin stage with ten wins and only one loss to Sweden’s Anna Östling/ WINGS Sailing, the Match in Pink Team went on to defeat the Dutch Team Out of the Box skippered by Julia Aarsten 2-0 in their quarter-final.
In the semi-finals, Courtois met resistance from Australia’s Juliet Costanzo/ Easy Tiger Racing who took a crucial win from Courtois in the opening match of the first-to-two points match.
In the second semi-final match, Courtois was again under pressure from Costanzo, carrying a penalty from Costanzo in the pre-start. Courtois waited until the last moment of the race to make her penalty turn right on the finish line, resulting in a finish so close that a hearing by the jury was required to award the race win to Courtois. In the third race, Courtois was able to stay ahead and take the crucial 2-1 win over Costanzo and advance to the final.
In a repeat of the 2024 Women’s Match Racing World Championship Final, Courtois and team found themselves up against New Zealand’s Thomson and the 2.0 Racing Team in the final. Determined to not repeat their 2024 World Championship defeat (0-3) against the Match in Pink team, Thomson’s crew prepared for a tough match.
After Courtois took the first win in the first-to-two points final, Thomson was able to level the score 1-1 in the second race. But in the start of the deciding match, Thomson made two careless errors and was awarded two penalties from Courtois. It was all but game over for Thomson as they struggled to gain distance over Courtois, with Courtois crossing the line to take the world championship title.
“It’s just incredible to win again here in Chicago,” said Courtois after racing. “Any world championship feels special, but this one was particularly challenging with the difficult [light] conditions during the week. To defend the title for the fifth time with my team is a huge accomplishment for us, and I am so proud of them for this amazing win!”
The 2025 edition of the Women’s Match Racing World Championship showcased not only Courtois’ consistency at the top of the sport, but also the strength and depth of women’s match racing worldwide. Twelve teams from countries including the United States, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Denmark competed in Chicago, underlining the global growth and appeal of women’s match racing.
World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship Results:
- Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite, FRA
(Crew: Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet, Laurane Mettraux) - Megan Thomson, 2.0 Racing, NZL
(Crew: Tiana Wittey, Josi Andres, Charlotte Porter, Hattie Rogers) - Lea Richter Vogelius, Team WOW, DEN
(Crew: Joan Hansen, Annette Strøm, Anne Sofie Munk-Hansen, Josefine Boel Rasmussen) - Juliet Costanzo, Easy Tiger Racing, AUS
(Crew: Sarah Parker, Rachel Bower, Katie Spithill Pellew, Alice Parker) - Anna Östling, WINGS Sailing, SWE
(Crew: Linnéa Wennergren, Annie Saeedfar Wennergren, Annika Carlunger, Karin Knigge) - Julia D’Amodio, Shark Caviar Team, FRA (Crew: Alice Chiappori, Valentine Lauret, Roxane Perrot, Manon Pennanec’h)
- Nicole Breault, Vela Racing, USA
(Crew: Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer, Dana Riley Hayes, McKenzie Wilson, Hailey Thompson) - Julia Aartsen, Team Out of the Box, NED
(Crew: Eva Asbeek Brusse, Ismene Usman, Nerine Usman, Saar Van Bemmel) - Celia Willison, Edge Women’s Match, NZL
(Crew: Clare Costanzo, Phoebe Buckland, Serena Woodall, Ruby Scholten) - Kristine Mauritzen, Those Seagulls, DEN
(Crew: Emilie Nordby, Katrine Ejlev, Maria Reinhold, Julia Toroi) - Martina Carlsson, Beyond Racing, SWE
(Crew: Svea Sahlin, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Hedvig Hedström) - Kenza Coutard, CKAFEW Racing Team, FRA
(Crew: Elena Circiello-Vaillant, Amandine Le Van Jacob, Chloé Le Roux, Flavie Foucher)