2026 Tornado European Championship: A Greek Triumph
A decisive pass on the final day clinched the 2026 Tornado European Championship title. The Greek crew of Nikolaos Mavros and Polydoros Parianos, sailing the catamaran GRE 86, claimed the overall victory after a very close battle with their compatriots Konstantinos Trigonis and Konstantinos Kazantzis.
Mavros and Parianos finished with 30 net points, just one point ahead of Trigonis and Kazantzis, who placed second with 31 points. After the first three days, GRE 11 was leading the standings; on the final day, however, consistent performance and victory in the last race allowed GRE 86 to overtake them and claim the top spot on the podium. Third place overall went to the Swiss crew on boat 110, consisting of Marcel Steiner and Jörg Steiner, with 38 net points. It was a hard-fought final standings, with three top-tier crews separated by just eight points after eleven races.
The Youth title was awarded to the Spanish crew ESP 12, consisting of Roque García Agudo and Vicent Jaume Serra García. The two young sailors finished the championship in tenth place overall, distinguishing themselves in a highly experienced international fleet. The Mixed title, meanwhile, went to the Czech crew CZE 72, composed of Michaela Pavlisova and Marek Pavlis, who finished sixth in the overall standings. Their solid and consistent performance was rewarded with victory in the special mixed category. The 2026 Tornado European Championship brought together 22 crews from 11 nations in Campione del Garda, confirming the class’s strong international character and Lake Garda’s appeal for high-performance sailing.
Greece was a major highlight of the event, fielding four crews and claiming the top two spots in the overall standings. The Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland also livened up the competition with competitive crews in the various races. The awards ceremony featured a special guest: Angelo Glisoni, the 1991 Tornado world champion alongside the unforgettable Giorgio Zuccoli and a participant in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
His presence marked a significant moment for all the crews and the audience: a direct link between the Tornado’s great Olympic history and a class that continues to embody speed, technique, spectacle, and international passion. “It’s a pleasure to be here, surrounded by so many Tornado crews and enthusiasts. This boat played a fundamental role in my athletic career, first with Giorgio Zuccoli and then during my Olympic experience in Barcelona in 1992. Seeing such an international and competitive fleet even today is a very encouraging sign for the future of the class,” commented Angelo Glisoni.
