By Joseph Terry

ST AUSTELL’S windsurfing breakthrough Finn Hawkins is nervous yet confident as he stands on the brink of the medal finals of the Musto iQFOiL World Championships 2026 in Weymouth & Portland.

Hawkins earned a day’s best third place on day four at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy on Thursday, with the qualifying heats in the top-split golf fleet coming to a head with course racing in downwind and upwind conditions.

The Cornishman, who is Britain’s top-ranked windsurfer, sits 11th in the standings and will fight to reach the medal finals on Friday 11 September, followed by an eleventh place performance and two races outside the top 20, one of which has been discarded from his record.

The top 10 men by the end of today’s (Friday) session will race for medals at Weymouth Harbour this weekend, with the top two sailors in the fleet automatically reaching the medal finals, while third to fifth receive a bye into the semi-final.

“I’m glad it’s slowly coming together,” Hawkins said. “Friday is about not making too many mistakes and still racing hard.

“You always feel nervous towards the end of the week as you get into crunch time, but the nice thing is that all the things that have got me here have worked. I just need to rely on those takeaways.

“Gold fleet course racing is always super tricky, but it was a blast,” the St Austell sailor added.

The British Sailing Team windsurfer will fight for position at the windsurfing and sailing venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games, with the chance to race in front of home support the goal for Hawkins.

All the action is building towards the finale tomorrow (Saturday) with a Fan Zone at Weymouth Pavilion bringing windsurfing to spectators by the Jurassic Coast seaside.

Islay Watson is leading the British women’s fleet in the standings, with fellow Brits Emma Wilson and Andy Brown defending their world titles on home waters.