23 Canadian sailors to prepare for LA 2028 at last Grand Slam Series stop of season in California

23 Canadian sailors to prepare for LA 2028 at last Grand Slam Series stop of season in California © Sail Canada

A total of 23 Canadian sailors will take part in the fifth and last Sailing Grand Slam stop of the season, the 2026 Long Beach and San Pedro Olympic Classes Regattas, set to be held July 13-24 in California.

The competition will kick off July 13-16 in Long Beach with the women's and men's iQFoil and the Formula Kite events, and will continue July 19-24 in San Pedro with six other classes: 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17, 470, ILCA 6, and ILCA 7. The two locations will be hosting those same classes at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The events will take place exactly two years before the start of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which will begin on July 14, 2028.

Seven members of the Canadian Sailing Team will be in action at these competitions: Valentino Blewett (Whistler, B.C.) in men's iQFoil, Clara Gravely (Toronto, ON), Victoria Coady (Coquitlam, B.C.), Annie Balasubramanian (Toronto, ON) and Lilly Rainham (Halifax, N.S.) in ILCA 6, as well as Liam Bruce (Oakville, ON) and Ryan Anderson (Halifax, N.S.) in ILCA 7.

"After doing some training at the Sail Canada base in Kingston, I'm looking forward to getting back in the mix with the international fleet," said Clara Gravely. "It's extra exciting to be in Los Angeles, competing at the Games venue just two years before the 2028 Olympics! Everyone is in top form and pushing hard to crush it here in LA, and I hope to do the same!"

Following is a list of all the Canadians who will be taking part in the events:

Men's iQFoil
* Valentino Blewett (Whistler, B.C.)
Arie Moffat (Kingston, ON)

Women's iQFoil
Rebecca Heller (Ottawa, ON)

Men's Formula Kite
Nathan Pearce (North Vancouver, B.C.)

Women's Formula Kite
Emily Bugeja (Vancouver, B.C.)
Marie-Ève Mayrand (Calgary, AB, and from Quebec City, QC)
Claire Ramsey (Kelowna, B.C.)
Martyna Dakowicz (Oakville, ON)

49erFX
Georgia Phillips (Toronto, ON) and Anika Lange Sorensen (Vancouver, B.C.)

ILCA 6
* Annie Balasubramanian (Toronto, ON)
* Victoria Coady (Coquitlam, B.C.)
* Clara Gravely (Toronto, ON)
* Lilly Rainham (Halifax, N.S.)
Alice Wan (Vancouver, B.C.)
Maya Wolf (Port Moody, B.C.)

ILCA 7
* Ryan Anderson (Halifax, N.S.)
* Liam Bruce (Oakville, ON)
Al Clark (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Weston Fremont (Calgary, AB)
Duncan Pearce (Vancouver, B.C.)

470
Rory Walsh (Vancouver, B.C.) and Tara Golonka (Victoria, B.C.)

*Canadian Sailing Team members

More than 300 sailors will be racing at the Long Beach and San Pedro Olympic Classes Regattas.