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The Los Angeles Sailing Grand Slam was an important step in the Olympic preparations for the teams competing in Formula Kite and iQFOiL. Held July 13?16, 2026, in Long Beach, this first event allowed the athletes to get their bearings at the future site of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The French delegation returned home with a gold medal thanks to Lauriane Nolot.
Lauriane Nolot Makes the Difference at the Decisive Moment
Having consistently ranked among the top three during the qualifying rounds, the Hyères native handled the Formula Kite-specific final format with ease. Having qualified for the decisive races, she had to string together victories against her main rivals.
Mission accomplished. Lauriane Nolot won her semifinal and then the necessary final heats to claim the gold medal. She finished ahead of Jessie Kampman of the Netherlands and Elena Lengwiler of Switzerland.
This ability to build momentum as the competition progresses is one of her hallmarks. Without trying to dominate qualifying every time, she conserves enough energy to be ready when the title is on the line.
" I'm really happy?it went really well. Today I won my semifinal, and then I followed that up with two wins in the final. We raced a lot in just a few days. It was a long and tiring week. Today, I wasn't really sure what to expect, so I just let the race decide. Everything fell into place," Lauriane Nolot said.
A body of water that already offers a glimpse of the 2028 Games
Beyond the results, this regatta was of strategic interest. The competitors raced on the Long Beach course, which has been selected to host the Olympic sailing events in two years.
The first few days were contested under typical conditions for the California bay, with a well-established thermal breeze. The elimination day then brought lighter winds, ranging from 8 to 12 knots, with little swell. These are conditions where the gaps narrow and tactical choices become decisive.
Lauriane Nolot's victory in this context offers valuable insights into how to approach this upcoming Olympic event.
A Strong French Delegation in Formula Kite and iQFOiL
The other French competitors also came away with encouraging insights.
In the men's Formula Kite event, Benoît Gomez finished fifth after a strong comeback over the last two days that allowed him to advance to the semifinals. In the women's event, Lysa Caval placed twentieth.
In iQFOiL, Nicolas Goyard finished in ninth place after winning two heats in the qualifying round. Tom Arnoux rounded out the French results with a tenth-place finish.
These results inform the work being done by the French national team's coaches on the specific weather and tactical conditions of the California race course.
Olympic preparations continue in San Pedro
The Olympic venue isn?t limited to Long Beach. Starting July 19, 2026, the other Olympic classes will take over in San Pedro. Louise Cervera will compete in the ILCA 6 class. The duo of Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Gennes will compete in the 470 class. In early August, the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 crews will round out the program.
The goal is the same for all series: to gather data on local conditions, test tactical options, and log as many hours of sailing as possible on the future Olympic venues before the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
