New Zealand windfoiler Aimee Bright has been crowned iQFOiL Under-23 World Champion after a dramatic final at the world championship in Puck, Poland, which concluded on 4 October 2026.
Bright, who sails out of the Manly Sailing Club at Whangaparāoa near Auckland, was in dominant form throughout the competition. She won 11 of her 20 qualifying races to book a spot in the winner-takes-all final.
In the final itself, Bright came from behind to beat Norway’s Maya Gysler in a dramatic comeback victory, claiming the world title.
“It’s pretty surreal to call myself under-23 world champion,” Bright said after her win.
Windsurfing, and the newer foiling version of the sport, run in Bright’s family. Her mother, Barbara Kendall, competed at five Olympic Games between 1992 and 2008, winning gold in Barcelona, silver in Atlanta and bronze in Sydney. Bright’s uncle, Bruce Kendall, is also an Olympic medallist, winning bronze in 1984 and gold in 1988.
With that kind of family history behind her, Aimee Bright looks set to be the next big name in New Zealand sailing.
iQFOiL is a type of windsurfing where riders stand on a board fitted with a foil, a wing-like fin that lifts the board above the water as it picks up speed. It’s become so popular that it’s now used at the Olympic Games, which could be a future goal for the young Kiwi champion.
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