Eric Monnin – SSL Team Switzerland Capitan – and his Swiss Match Race Team of Ute Wagner Monnin and Marc Monnin claimed victory at the fifteenth edition of the Grade 2 event – OM International Ledro Match Race, Stage 7 of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour and the only Italian event on this years tour calendar, organized by the Associazione Vela Lago di Ledro using its fleet of J/22s. Monnin defeated Frenchman Ange Delerce 2-0 in the final.
As expected, the final featured the two standout performers of the Round Robin, both of whom finished the opening stage with an overall win-loss record of 9-2. Yet the outcome was far from a foregone conclusion. While Monnin advanced to the final by defeating Dutch sailor Lennard Bal 2-0 in the semifinals, Delerce was pushed to the limit by Riccardo Sepe, who led the deciding match until the beginning of the final downwind leg. Then, following an unsuccessful gybe, Sepe representing Circolo 3V was forced to concede the decisive point and, with it, a place in the final to the Frenchman.
As for the final itself, it proved to be a one-sided affair dominated by Monnin’s crew winning both matches against Delerce. Riccardo Sepe secured third place after defeating Bal in the opening match of the petit final, then recovering from the equalizer to win the deciding race.
“It has been a demanding event,” commented Monnin after their win. “Lake Ledro is a wonderful venue, but tactically very challenging, especially with the unstable breezes we experienced over the last few days. We faced well-prepared teams and there were no easy results. Once we got through the Round Robin, our strength was maintaining a high level of concentration and winning every match in the knockout stage. This is an important result both for team morale and for the remainder of the season.”
Throughout the event, the SSL Team Switzerland competed in official SSL uniforms, proudly representing their country at the highest level of sailing. Their strong performance is an encouraging sign ahead of the upcoming SSL Gold Cup finals in Rio de Janeiro this autumn. It is worth noting that Switzerland has qualified through the ranking system and is currently set to begin the finals from the Round of 16, grouped with Denmark.
Photo and Text Credit: World Match Racing Tour