Young Azzura, Federico Pilloni claims silver at French Olympic Week
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 24 Apr 10:53 PDT
18-25 April 2026
The French Olympic Week, a leading international event for Olympic classes, concluded today in Hyères. Among the numerous competitors were two Young Azzurra athletes: Cesare Barabino, in the ILCA 7 class, and Federico Pilloni, in the iQFOiL class.
Both delivered excellent performances, with Pilloni claiming silver in his class behind Olympian Grae Morris, a silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Cesare Barabino, meanwhile, posted a strong 14th-place finish out of 136 athletes in the ILCA 7 class.
It was a challenging edition of the French Olympic Week, with strong winds and significant swell putting competitors to the test. Qualifying races took place on 20 and 21 April, allowing the fleet to be divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze groups. Freddy had already notched up three wins out of seven races in this initial phase, and remained at the top of the standings throughout the Medal Race qualifiers to conclude them in fourth place, thanks to consistent results and a win in the last race. Today he took to the water determined to give it his all, and secured victory in the semi-final. A second-place finish in the final race, behind Australia's Grae Morris, allowed him to clinch the silver medal at the 2026 French Olympic Week. Third on the podium was China's Kun BI.
This result carries particular weight given that Pilloni only moved up to the senior category last year. An excellent tenth-place finish at the World Cup in early April, held as part of the Princesa Sofia Trophy in Palma de Mallorca, signalled a marked improvement in form for the Young Azzurra athlete, now confirmed by his performance in Hyères.
"I'm really happy with this result. It's been an intense week, during which I managed to put in some excellent performances and maintain a good level of concentration each day. Finishing second in the senior fleet here at the French Olympic Week means a great deal to me. Reaching the medal race, winning the semi-final and then finishing second, behind a champion like the Australian Olympic silver medallist Grae Morris, is something I'm still struggling to put into words. It's a powerful emotion that makes all the hard work worthwhile and gives me even more motivation to keep improving." commented Federico.
It was a positive week for Cesare Barabino too, who navigated the qualifying rounds to secure a place in the Gold fleet, finishing 14th overall in the highly competitive ILCA 7 fleet.
The YCCS congratulates Federico and Cesare on their excellent results.