Solva's Micky Bennet wins gold in ILCA 7 world championships

This was the third world championship medal Micky Beckett from Solva following a world championship silver in 2023 and bronze in 2024.

Micky learnt to sail on a homemade boat at the age of five at a small sailing school his dad ran in the village of Solva. He raced for the first time aged nine.

Micky Beckett from Solva will go onto the World Championships in Brazil which is the Olympic qualifier. (Image: ILCA Sailing)

Since those beginnings he has achieved his dream of representing his country at the Paris Olympics, where he placed sixth.

After the Olympics he raffled the boat he raced at the event, raising more than £18,000 for the Andrew Simpson Foundation, which helps children get on the water.

He told the Western Telegraph that the support from Pembrokeshire keeps him going during competitions.

“The support I get from home is fantastic,” said Micky. “I have to spend a lot of time abroad training and competing.

“It can feel pretty far from home sometimes, but there's genuinely nowhere I look forwards to going to more than Solva.

Micky learnt to sail in Solva age five. (Image: ILCA Sailing)

“I can't describe how nice it is to go home, hang around at the harbour and catch up with people I've known since I was a kid.

“People are always really interested in my sailing and want to know the latest about what I've been up to, it's fantastic to always have that kind of support.”

In the recent 2026 ILCA 7 world championships Micky finished just one point away from his first world title, taking bronze on 48 points after a dramatic final day in which he recorded seventh and fifth in the two-race medal series.

Micky Beckett from Solva is presented with the bronze trophy at the ILCA Sailing world championships 2026 (Image: ©INPHO/Down Under Sail/Dan Clohessy)

The ILCA 7 is a popular, single-handed racing sailboat that serves as the men's Olympic equipment for the single-handed dinghy category

Following a short autumn break, attention will turn to the 2027 world championships in Fortaleza, Brazil, taking place from January 15-23 next year.

The British Sailing Team says that the event will provide the first opportunity for Micky as well as teammates Elliot Hanson and Finley Dickinson to qualify the nation for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 and secure a place for a British athlete in the ILCA 7 class at the 2028 Games.