Fiv Sailor of the Year to Marta Maggetti: "I'm very happy and honored"

The Sailor of the Year - Fiv, the award of the Italian Sailing Federation organized together with Confindustria Nautica, has rounded the thirtieth anniversary mark and is renewed in its name and logo in homage to the "Stars of Sailing", acquiring new impetus from the strong partnership of the two promoting bodies. The 31st edition of the Sailor of the Year Fiv - Stars of Sailing celebrated the protagonists and results of the 2024 competitive season in the splendid setting of Villa Miani in Rome. The biggest names in Italian sailing took turns on the stage, in an evening that saw a succession of institutional moments, testimonials and awards. Opening the event were Francesco Ettorre, President of the Italian Sailing Federation, and Piero Formenti, new President of Confindustria Nautica, welcomed by a long applause from the 300 guests present in the room.

At 10:30 pm, the most anticipated moment: the announcement of the FIV Sailor of the Year – Stelle della Vela 2025. An exceptional group of athletes who, during 2024, achieved results of absolute excellence at an international level, were competing, taking to the stage to the applause of the audience. The wait culminated in the screening of a spectacular video that revealed the result of the jury's decision, definitively consigning the name of Marta Maggetti to history. With a perfect regatta, Maggetti, 29 years old from Cagliari, brought back to Italy the gold medal that had been missing for 24 years after Alessandra Sensini's in Sydney 2000 and, as fate would have it, on the same day! An ideal passing of the baton between sailing generations that looks to the future.

The Italian champion won a gold medal in Paris that had been missing for 24 years with Alessandra Sensini. "I am very happy and honored for this award, I thank everyone. I tell the boys to continue dreaming", said Maggetti from the stage. "I am shy and I have more tension on land than in the sea. The Olympic gold is a satisfaction, a childhood dream and a satisfaction but nothing has changed. You always try to reconfirm yourself and do better", underlined the Olympic champion.

Francesco Ettorre, President of FIV, said: "For us, this evening represents much more than an award ceremony: it is the moment in which all of Italian sailing comes together, recognizes itself and celebrates a year of commitment, effort and results. The Stars of Sailing for us are represented by all the people who with their work, often silent, take our sport ever higher. We have experienced an extraordinary season, culminating with two Olympic golds that will remain in history. I thank Confindustria Nautica for the increasingly close and natural collaboration and all the people who every day, in the clubs and on the regatta fields, keep the passion for sailing alive. This award is a celebration that wants to embrace all of Italian sailing".

In his speech, Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica, underlined how: "the Sailor of the Year FIV - Stars of Sailing represents the ideal meeting point between sport, industry and passion for the sea. Sailing is a top-level sporting discipline and an extraordinary tool for cultural and technical promotion of our sector. Confindustria Nautica is proud to support an event that rewards talent, commitment and vision: founding values ​​of our supply chain, which make Italy a world reference point in the nautical sector".

The ceremony got underway with the awarding of the Shipowner - Helmsman of the Year to Alberto Rossi for having demonstrated, once again, that he races with class, rigor and passion, consecrating a path of constant excellence at the highest level of international sailing. Following this, the long-awaited Boat of the Year Award - Confindustria Nautica Trophy.

Marina Stella, General Manager of Confindustria Nautica, took the stage to announce the winner and underlined the importance of the synergy between sport and industry: “The Boat of the Year Award - Confindustria Nautica Trophy is first and foremost a sporting recognition, but also a strong signal of the centrality that the culture of design, innovation and industrial vision plays in the Italian nautical system. Celebrating the excellences that stand out on the regatta fields means valorizing an entire supply chain that expresses quality, talent and leadership on a global level. It is the same spirit that guides us in organizing the 65th Genoa International Boat Show, scheduled from 18 to 23 September: an event that embodies the identity, strength and ambition of a constantly evolving sector.”

The jury awarded the Boat of the Year – Confindustria Nautica Trophy – Golden Star to the Grand Soleil 44 Performance: designed by Matteo Polli and built by Cantiere del Pardo, it is the result of a consolidated designer-shipyard duo, an absolute excellence also for a long sporting tradition of international successes and in the design development that is the pride of the Made in Italy industry, in addition to four world titles that leave no room for doubt. The Boat of the Year – Confindustria Nautica Trophy – Silver Star – award went to the AC40 Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

The use of technology to promote youth sports and gender inclusion summarizes a project that is a symbol of inspiration and has already become an international model. FIV Awards for international podiums: During the evening, the Italian Sailing Federation awarded the 136 Italian sailors who achieved an international podium in 2024, making them all go up on stage in a suggestive moment. Established in 1991 on the initiative of Alberto Acciari, now Honorary President of the award, the FIV Sailor of the Year - Stars of Sailing confirms every year the centrality of sailing in the Italian sports panorama, celebrating its greatest protagonists and the pride of the Italian system behind them.