National Champions: Henri and Mia Set Sail for the World Stage

The Great Southern Academy of Sport is proud to celebrate scholarship athlete Henri Bellanger, who alongside sailing partner Mia, has claimed the Nacra 15 Junior National Championship in an outstanding performance in April 2026.

The pair impressed throughout the regatta, showing great communication, composure, and tactical awareness to take home the national title.

Their coach praised the performance, saying Henri and Mia “communicated well, read the wind perfectly and won the National Championship” — an incredible result and their first ‘picket fence’, a near-perfect series across the event.

The result has secured the pair selection in the Australian Youth Sailing Team, where they will now represent Australia at two major international events:

• Nacra 15 World Championships – Plymouth, United Kingdom (July)

• Youth World Sailing Championships – Vilamoura, Portugal (December)

Adding to the momentum, all three WA Nacra 15 teams were also selected in the Australian Youth Squad, with Henri recently attending his first training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport alongside Australia’s top emerging sailors.

The AIS experience was clearly memorable, with Henri summing up the dining hall experience perfectly:

“It was like the Magic Pudding. We ate all the food and then it was all full again when we came back for our next meal.”

A very athlete response.

This is a huge achievement for Henri and Mia, and an exciting next step as they prepare to compete on the world stage.

With international competition comes significant travel costs, so fundraising will now become an important part of the journey.

Congratulations to Henri and Mia on an incredible achievement. GSAS is excited to follow what comes next.