Grove Teen Strikes Gold on the World Sailing Stage

Local sailor David “Mateo” Coates captured the United States’ only gold medal at the Youth World Sailing Championships in Portugal, becoming the first American in 23 years to win the elite ILCA 6 title — and bringing international sailing glory back to Coconut Grove.

Local youth sailor David Coates captured the lone gold medal for the United States in the Youth World Sailing Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal in December, bringing international sailing glory to Coconut Grove. 

Coates, who goes by Mateo, won the highly competitive male ILCA 6 class, a single-handed dinghy also known as the Laser, after five days of intense sailing. 

He’s the first American to do so in 23 years, since Andrew Campbell of San Diego sailed to Laser victory in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2002. 

“I broke down in tears,” Coates told the Spotlight, recalling when the win sank in. “It was so much emotion I had never felt before.”

The Youth World Sailing Championships are widely regarded as the pinnacle of youth sailing, in part because only the top sailor in each boat class earns the right to represent their country. Founded in 1971, the event has grown to include 11 different classes of sailing.

“I’m here representing my country, and I’m the only one doing it,” Coates recalled thinking to himself. 

Two other Coconut Grove youth sailors also represented the U.S. in Portugal, in a different boat class. Elizabeth Xydas and Alexandra Kolaya, students at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, placed 14th in the female 420 class, a two-person dinghy. 

Coates, 17, a junior at the School for Advanced Studies in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, sails Coconut Grove’s waters several times a week, launching out of the U.S. Sailing Center next to Kennedy Park. He also trains on the weekends in Fort Lauderdale, where his coaches are based. Not all sailors enjoy the same access to the water, Coates said, making him especially grateful for his 33133 ZIP code as he prepared for the competition.

Over the course of the five days, Coates competed in nine races. He started off strong, finishing fifth in the first race, but slipped far back on the second day, putting up a 13th and 37th place finish and making victory seem like a far-off possibility. 

And then something clicked. Coates rebounded with six consecutive top-six finishes, capped by two victories.

“I don’t know how I did it, but I just took it race by race,” he said. “My whole mentality was ‘it’s just another regatta.’” 

By the ninth and final race, it was Coates’ title to lose. The next closest competitor, Czech sailor Jiri Tomes, needed to win the race and hope that Coates finished no higher than fourth. In the end, Coates’ path to victory improved after race officials penalized Tomes for inching over the starting line early.

“Holy shit, I just won!” he exclaimed to his coach after his final performance. 

Coates’ victory is not only a moment of triumph for all youth U.S. sailing, but returns the World Sailing St. Lawrence trophy back to the Grove.

Fifty-two years earlier, another Coconut Grove sailor stood in his same place. Sailing legend Augie Diaz, a National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee, won the Laser class in 1973, the first American to ever win the title. 

“To see his name on the trophy was so cool,” Coates said. 

Coates’ championship win is the culmination of 10 years of hard work, beginning when he was just seven. Originally a soccer fanatic, Coates signed up for a sailing summer camp and quickly fell in love with the individuality of the sport. As the years have gone on, he’s thrown himself more and more into the sport, giving up most of his free time to be on the water. 

Still, Coates never felt his commitment was reflected in his race results. He often faded from medal contention in major races, most recently finishing 12th at the ILCA Youth World Championship, a Laser class competition held in Los Angeles in August. 

“For all this effort I can’t even medal and that kind of killed me a bit,” he recalled. 

This made Coates’ Portugal glory all the more meaningful. 

“The thought of being able to always win, the chance that I can win like that, that has been enough for me to keep pushing myself,” he said. 

Beyond the personal achievement, Coates said his first place finish carried added meaning as proof that U.S. sailors can compete with the world’s best. The next-highest American finishers at this year’s event were a bronze medal in the Nacra 15 mixed class and a fourth-place finish in the iQFOIL men’s competition.

“The U.S. is not known for being that great at sailing, especially in Laser,” Coates said. 

Coates hopes to help change that perception, aiming to return to the championship in 2026 as he works toward his goal of competing in the Olympics.

The significance of the victory has not gone unnoticed.

Back home in Coconut Grove and spectating at this year’s Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, Coates said the outpouring of support he received after the win was almost overwhelming.

“It was really sweet,” he said. “I didn’t realize how many people were watching me.”