Christian Hamilton, Aurélien Pierroz, Oscar Engström and Jeppe Borch secure direct quarter-final places after finishing level on eight wins in Hamilton Harbour.
Four skippers finished level on eight wins to qualify directly for the quarter-finals of the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup on Thursday (15 October), with three newcomers to the event among those progressing to the knockout stages.
Britain's Christian Hamilton, France's Aurélien Pierroz, Sweden's Oscar Engström and Denmark's Jeppe Borch each recorded eight victories from 11 matches at the penultimate event of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour.
The final qualification places were not settled until the 66th match of the 17-flight round-robin series, when Australia's Tom Picot defeated American Chris Poole, leaving the experienced Gold Cup campaigner one win short of automatic qualification.
Hamilton Makes His Mark on Bermuda Debut
Hamilton, competing in his first Bermuda Gold Cup, continued his rapid rise through the World Match Racing Tour rankings with four wins from five matches on Thursday.
“This is my first time at the Bermuda Gold Cup and it's been amazing,” Hamilton said.
“Today was a great day, we managed to win four and lose one, which we were really happy with and that meant we were straight through into the quarters.”
Hamilton's Khumbu Racing crew includes nine-time match racing world champion Ian Williams, whose experience has proved valuable during the opening two days.
“It's amazing to be able to sail with those guys and learn so much from them,” Hamilton said. “Even when I make mistakes, they can somehow pull me back into the race.”
Scandinavian Pair Secure Qualification
Engström and Borch had shared the opening-day lead in Bermuda, each recording five victories from six matches in Wednesday's light and shifting winds.
Borch added three victories on Thursday to join the leading group, while Engström maintained his form to secure one of the four automatic quarter-final places.
Pierroz also completed the round-robin stage with eight wins.
The competition is being sailed in a new fleet of Fareast 28R keelboats, replacing the traditional International One Design yachts. The boats have been modified with symmetric spinnakers for match racing.
The Bermuda event follows the Tour's recent visit to Irish waters, where France's Tom Foucher won the Dublin Match Cup at the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, defeating Irish skipper Ruairí Finnegan in the final. Finnegan's runner-up finish was his best World Match Racing Tour result.
Defending Champion Faces Repechage
Among those facing an additional qualification round is Sweden's Johnie Berntsson, who finished eighth with five wins and six defeats.
Berntsson is seeking a fourth consecutive title after claiming his third successive Bermuda Gold Cup in 2025, when he defeated Britain's Ian Williams 3-0 in the final. That victory was his fifth Gold Cup overall.
Poole finished fifth with seven wins, ahead of Switzerland's Eric Monnin on six and France's Pauline Courtois on five.
The repechage will determine which additional skippers progress to the quarter-finals.
Final Round-Robin Standings
|
Position |
Skipper |
Nation |
Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Christian Hamilton |
GBR |
8 |
|
2 |
Aurélien Pierroz |
FRA |
8 |
|
3 |
Oscar Engström |
SWE |
8 |
|
4 |
Jeppe Borch |
DEN |
8 |
|
5 |
Chris Poole |
USA |
7 |
|
6 |
Eric Monnin |
SUI |
6 |
|
7 |
Pauline Courtois |
FRA |
5 |
|
8 |
Johnie Berntsson |
SWE |
5 |
|
9 |
Tom Picot |
AUS |
4 |
|
10 |
Martina Carlsson |
SWE |
3 |
|
11 |
Allie Blecher |
USA |
2 |
|
12 |
Anna Östling |
SWE |
2 |
Full results are available on the World Match Racing Tour results page.
