Denmark’s Lea Vogelius and her WOW Racing crew of Louise Ulrikkeholm, Sille Christensen, Josefine Rasmussen, Joan Hansen and Maria Juul delivered a standout performance on home waters to win the 2026 KDY Women’s Match Race, the opening stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club in Rungsted Harbour.
Vogelius and team defeated Sweden’s Anna Östling and the WINGS Sailing team 3-1 in the final.
Competing against a world-class line-up of women match racers, Vogelius and her team of Louise Ulrikkeholm, Sille Christensen, Josefine Rasmussen, Joan Hansen and Maria Juul had a strong performance for the whole event, finishing the double round robin qualifying stage with a strong 10–4 record. The team went on to defeat fellow Danish skipper Kristine Mauritzen in a decisive 3–1 series to secure a place in the final.
The final saw a classic Scandinavian showdown against Sweden’s Anna Östling and her WINGS Sailing team, a formidable opponent and previous event champion. Vogelius and WOW Racing capitalized on their local knowledge of the Rungsted racecourse and their experience in the DS37 keelboats to edge out their rivals and claim the title.
“It’s been a tricky event for us, but we love sailing the DS37’s” added Vogelius. “In the final against Anna and her team, we knew anything could happen but luckily we were super-fast today, and we are thrilled to get the win.”
Behind Vogelius, Östling finished second, while France’s Pauline Courtois secured third place after winning the petit final. The event featured eight elite women’s match racing teams and served as the opening stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour.
Vogelius and WOW Racing take an early lead in the tour standings as the tour now moves to its next stage in Annapolis USA at the Santa Maria Cup hosted by the Eastport Yacht Club, 3-6 June.
First contested in 1991, the Santa Maria Cup has grown into one of the most prestigious women’s match racing regattas in the world, attracting Olympic sailors, world champions and many of the sport’s prominent names including JJ Isler, Dawn Riley, Julia Trotman, Jody Swanson, Betsy Alison, Cory Sertl, Sally Barkow, and Anna Tunnicliffe.
The 2026 edition will mark the 25th year of the event’s founding with defending champion Allie Blecher returning after her 2025 victory, while Sweden’s Anna Östling — who won the Santa Maria Cup in 2023 and finished on the podium last year — is expected to be among the leading contenders at this year’s event https://www.santamariacup.org/
