Le Cléac'h wins the Vendée Globe in record time of 74 days

Armel Le Cléac'h crossed the finish line off Les Sables-d'Olonne, on France's Atlantic coast, on 19 January 2017 to win the eighth Vendée Globe, the non-stop, unassisted solo round-the-world race. He sailed the IMOCA 60 monohull Banque Populaire VIII, fitted with foils, the wing-like appendages that lift the hull partly out of the water. His time of about 74 days, 3 hours and 35 minutes beat François Gabart's 2012-13 record by more than four days.

The race had started on 6 November 2016. Le Cléac'h spent much of it in a close duel with British sailor Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss, who lost a foil early on yet kept up the pressure and finished about 16 hours later.

The victory mattered for both sporting and personal reasons. Le Cléac'h had finished second in the two previous editions, in 2008-09 and 2012-13, and the win ended years of near misses. It also confirmed the speed of foiling boats and cemented his standing among the leading French offshore racers.