Israel recorded an unprecedented sailing achievement at the iQFOiL World Championships in England, as Tamar Steinberg was crowned women’s world champion and teammate Sharon Kantor won the silver medal. Daniela Peleg, who joined them in the final, finished fourth.
Shahar Tibi, the European Championship silver medalist, entered the medal series after finishing seventh in qualifying but placed last in the quarterfinal, leaving her 10th overall. “I’m so happy. I’ve wanted this for a long time, and not everything you really want actually happens. Wow,” an emotional Steinberg said after her victory. “I led for most of the week. I came to this competition with one mission and went after it from the start. But with the medal races it’s so hard, anything can happen.”
Tamar Steinberg
(Photo: sailing energy)
“I felt Kantor throughout the race. She started better and we fought all the way to the finish. I’m so happy for her, she’s my teammate. We have such a strong team. This final looked like the Israeli championships, just with Stella, the bronze medalist, added in. 2026 has been a great year for me.”
Steinberg, 20, was the standout performer throughout qualifying. The reigning world silver medalist and newly crowned European champion won each of the first four races of the competition and took seven victories from 16 qualifying races.
She led the standings throughout the event by a substantial margin. Carrying a bonus point into the final, Steinberg needed only one victory to secure the world title, and she delivered.
Kantor’s path to silver was very different. The 2024 world champion and Olympic silver medalist began the competition in 16th place before steadily climbing through the standings, first to eighth, then third and finally second.
Her comeback was built on remarkable consistency, with 11 of her 16 qualifying races ending in top-10 finishes.
There was considerably more frustration for Israel in the men’s competition. Paris Olympic champion Tom Reuveny, who finished qualifying in sixth place, initially appeared to have booked his place in the final after winning his quarterfinal and then finishing first in the semifinal.
Organizers later discovered a problem with the original semifinal and ordered the race to be held again. In the rerun, Reuveny finished third and failed to advance, ending the championships fifth overall.
Yoav Omer, who was eighth after qualifying, finished third in his race and ended his campaign in eighth place overall.