Steinberg Claims iQFoil World Championship Title

Tamar Steinberg is the women's iQFoil world champion. The Israeli sailor won the 2026 title at Weymouth and Portland, England, on 12 September. She led the event from the first race to the last.

Four straight wins set the tone from day one

Steinberg opened the championship with a flawless run, winning all four opening races. That start built a wide lead in the women's fleet of 179 competitors hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

She closed the qualification series on top with 44 points, well clear of teammate Sharon Kantor on 73 and Italy's Medea Falcioni on 105. Her advantage held through every day of racing.

Steinberg wins the final for an Israeli one-two

In the medal series, Stella Bilger and Daniela Peleg came through the semi-final to join Kantor and Steinberg in the final. Steinberg added a win in that final to seal the medal series. Kantor took silver and Bilger bronze.

The result gave Israel the top two places on the podium. Peleg, a two-time European champion, finished fourth after a strong recovery through qualifying. Three Israeli riders reached the final in all.

A title that follows a European crown and a Worlds silver

At 20, Steinberg was the reigning European champion coming into the regatta. The world title adds to that crown and to the silver she won at a previous World Championships. It marks a clear step up from runner-up to champion.

Kantor, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist and 2024 world champion, could not close the gap this time. For Steinberg, the win confirms her place at the front of the class. The next season now opens with her name at the top.