Irish triple Olympian David Burrows has moved into fifth overall at the Star World Championship in Miami, sailing with American skipper Augie Diaz, as Thursday's fourth race brought another change of leader on Biscayne Bay.

Burrows and Diaz finished 14th in the 95-boat fleet, adding to earlier scores of 20th, fourth and 13th. Their 51-point total puts them just 16 points behind new championship leaders Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi of Italy, with two races remaining.

Argentina's Leandro and Lucas Altolaguirre won Thursday's race, their second victory of the week, while the Italians took the overall lead on 35 points. Americans Will Stout and Danny Cayard are second on 38, level with Norway's Eivind Melleby and Austrian Christian Nehammer in third.

Altolaguirre Brothers Win Again in Shifting Breeze

Race 4 began at noon in a light southerly breeze of six to seven knots. Pressure patches and unpredictable shifts made the course especially difficult, despite a slight early advantage on the left of the opening beat.

Italian Advantage: Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi lead the charge on Biscayne Bay, where their consistency over four races has put the Italian pair at the top of the 2026 Star World Championship standings. Photo: Matias Capizzano

Germany's Nick Heuwinkel and Jesper Spehr led at the first windward mark, before Stout and Cayard took over at the leeward gate. The second beat transformed the order: the Altolaguirre brothers found better breeze and established a commanding lead, which they extended on the final run.

Tom Londrigan and Mike Farmer (USA) finished second, less than a boat length ahead of Piet Eckert (SUI) and Frederico Melo (POR). Hubert Merkelbach and Markus Koy (GER) were fourth, followed by Tomas Hornos and Josh Revkin (USA).

"It was a really difficult race, with very patchy conditions," Eckert said. He described gains from fresh breeze on the left and then the right, before seagrass slowed his boat on the final run.

Italian Consistency Pays Off

Negri, a two-time Star world champion, and Lambertenghi have posted third, 12th, fifth and 15th places. That consistent scoreline has put them ahead of Stout and Cayard and Melleby and Nehammer, each on 38 points. Scott Barnard and Kilian Weise (USA) are fourth on 49, just ahead of Diaz and Burrows.

Irish Contender: Three-time Irish Olympian David Burrows and American skipper Augie Diaz race on Biscayne Bay, where they have climbed to fifth overall after four races at the 2026 Star World Championship. Photo: Matias Capizzano

"Today was really hard," Negri said, pointing to unusual wind direction and unstable pressure. The Italian crew opted for a conservative approach and their 15th place was enough to take the lead.

Wednesday's halfway leaders, Peter Bromby and Myles Pritchard, dropped to seventh overall after finishing 33rd on Thursday. Defending champions Paul Cayard and Frithjof Kleen were among several contenders to finish outside the top 40.

O'Leary Crews Face Tough Fourth Race

The three Irish-flagged O'Leary family entries had a difficult Thursday. Peter O'Leary and Joost Houweling finished 43rd and are 21st overall on 90 points, following earlier results of seventh, 11th and 29th.

Robert O'Leary and Steyn van Driessel finished 74th and are 39th overall on 168 points. Anthony O'Leary and Phil Toth placed 87th and are 59th overall on 236 points. As Afloat reported after Race 2, Anthony and his sons Peter and Robert are all competing in Miami.

Wednesday's German Victory Sets Up the Mid-Week Battle

In Race 3 on Wednesday, Max Kohlhoff and Ole Burzinski of Germany bounced back from 34th and 40th places in the opening two races to take victory. They passed early leaders George Szabo and Guy Avellon (USA) on the first downwind leg and sailed clear. Szabo and Avellon finished second, with Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada third.

That result left Bromby and Pritchard leading at the halfway stage on 19 points and earned them the traditional Mid-Week Championship award. Thursday's result, however, underlined how quickly the standings can change in Miami's light and variable conditions.

Two races remain scheduled. The first discard comes into effect after Race 5 and could significantly reshape the title contest.