Stars and Challengers from the 49er and Nacra 17 Classes Take to the America’s Cup Stage

The upcoming America’s Cup and its inaugural Youth and Women’s America’s Cup events, are taking place in Barcelona from September 17 to October 13, 2024, will showcase a remarkable lineup of sailors from the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 classes. This year’s competition features both seasoned champions and rising stars, many of whom have previously excelled in the high-speed, dynamic world of these Olympic classes.

WHO’S RACING: New Zealand, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, USA, France, Spain, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden and Australia

The opening qualification rounds of the Ameirca’s Cup had six teams, and there are twelve teams in the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup. With the Youth and Women’s a total of eight races will be completed for both groups and the top three teams from each group will progress into the Final Series of four races to decide the top two boats. Thursday 26nd September is the scheduled day for the Youth America’s Cup Final and will see the two top teams go head-to-head in a winner-takes-all Final Match Race for the title and trophy.

Summary of all the sailors from the Skiff and Catamaran Olympic Classes

1)Emirates Team New Zealand

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke: A Legacy of Excellence

New Zealand’s Emirates Team New Zealand stands out with the most decorated sailors from the 49er class: Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. Their careers are a testament to the skills required in high-speed sailing. Burling, at just 25, became the youngest-ever 49er Olympic gold medalist in 2016, and his subsequent victories include multiple World Championships and an America’s Cup win in 2017. Tuke, alongside Burling, secured Olympic gold and silver medals and is renowned for their dominant performance in the 49er class.

Another former 49er sailors in Emirates Team New Zealand is Marcus Hansen, who spent seven years sailing the 49er often training and competing alongside Peter and Blair.

Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen: Champions Turned Competitors

Another notable duo making waves in the America’s Cup are Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen. Gold medalists in the 49er at the London 2012 Olympics and silver medalist in Rio 2016, they have a remarkable track record in the 49er class. They also share multiple World Championship titles and Olympic medals. Outteridge now races for the New Zealand team, while Jensen competes for INEOS Britannia. Their transition to the America’s Cup highlights the versatile skill set required in top-tier sailing competitions, as they move from the 49er to the foiling AC75s.

Outteridge also campaigned for the 2020 Olympics and qualified his country for the Nacra 17 class sailing with his sister Haylee gaining a 2nd place at the World Championships.

Youth America’s Cup team:

• Oscar Gunn and Seb Menzies: Both sailors have a strong background in the 49er class, with Gunn competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Menzies bringing a wealth of experience from the 49er circuit.
• Leo Takahashi: A former 49er sailor who competed in the 2020 Olympics, Takahashi brings valuable experience to the Youth America’s Cup team.

Puig Women’s America’s Cup Team:

• Jo Aleh and Molly Meech: Aleh, a flag bearer at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Meech, a silver medalist in the 49erFX in Rio 2016, are well-known for their achievements in the 49erFX. Aleh and Meech have also competed in the 49erFX at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, and Meech is the FX silver medalist from Rio, then sailing with Alex Maloney.
• Erica Dawson: Nacra 17 sailor, Dawson won bronze in the Paris 2024 Olympics alongside Micah Wilkinson.

2) INEOS Britannia (UK Team)

• Dylan Fletcher: A renowned 49er sailor, Fletcher won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and won the 2017 world title in the 49er class.
• Iain Jensen: Another 49er legend, Jensen secured gold at the London 2012 Olympics, silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and won three 49er world championships.

Athena Pathway (British America’s Cup Youth Team) 

• Freya Black: A Paris 2024 Olympian in the 49erFX, Black also earned bronze at the 2023 European Championships with Saskia Tidey.
• James Grummett: A talented 49er sailor with a silver medal from the 2019 49er Junior Worlds, and a 4th place at the 2024 Worlds.

Athena Pathway British Women’s America’s Cup Team

• Hannah Diamond: A successful Nacra 17 sailor with a silver medal from the 2013 World Championships.
• Anna Burnet: A two-time World Champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist in the 49erFX. 4th in the Paris 2024 Olympics with John Gimson.
• Saskia Tidey: Triple Olympian in the 49er FX, Vice 49er FX World and European Champion

3) Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland)

• Maxime Bachelin: An accomplished 49er sailor who now helms for Alinghi.
• Lucien Cujean: Transitioned from 49er racing to trim the AC40, having previously competed in the 49er at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics with Sebastian Schneiter.

Youth and Women’s Swiss AC Teams:

• Arno de Planta, a skilled 49er sailor, teamed up with Sebastian Schneiter to represent their country at the Paris Olympics, where they finished 8th overall. De Planta has also secured several medals with Seb at both the European and World Championships in the 49er class.
• Andrea Aschieri is a Nacra 17 sailor, currently competing alongside Anja Camusso.
• Other 49er and FX sailors in the AC team include Morgan Lauber, Jann Schüpbach, Alexandra Stalder, and Joshua Richner, who is actively campaigning for the LA 2028 Olympics.

4) Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italian Team) 

• Ruggero Tita: A two-time Olympic gold medalist and 4 time World Champion in the Nacra 17 with Caterina Banti, and former 49er sailor, who also participated in the 49er Olympics in Rio.
• Francesco Bruni: With a history in the 49er class, he sailed in the 2000 49er Olympics with Gabriele Bruni
• Vittorio Bissaro: He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the mixed Nacra 17 pairing with Silvia Sicouri
• Umberto Molineris & Andrea Tesei: Both of the 49er veterans are now the flight controllers for the Italian AC 75.

Youth and Women’s Italian AC Teams:

• Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei: have an impressive sailing record in the Nacra 17, earning two silver and one bronze medal at the World Championships, a silver and a bronze at the European Championships, along with three U24 World Champion titles and two U23 European Champion titles.
• Giulia Conti: Participated in the Rio 2016 Olympics with Francesca Clapcich. The pair scored numerous successes including 2015 victory in Italian, European and World Championships.
• Margherita Porro is also on the Italian AC team and sails the Nacra 17 .

5) American Magic (USA Team)

• Riley Gibbs: A gold medalist in the 2019 Pan American Games in the Nacra 17, and represented  Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, competing with Anna Weis in the Nacra 17.

Youth and Women’s American AC Teams:

• Ian MacDiarmid: A top 10 49er sailor with a strong competitive background.
• Ben Rosenberg sails the Nacra 17, and has filled in for David Liebengerg as crew in training camps with Sarah Newberry-Moore.
• Francesca Clapchich, She competed for Italy in the 49erFX 2016 Olympics with Giulia Conti, finishing in 5th place. In 2015 they won the Italian, European and World Championships in the 49erFX Class.
• Helena Scutt: She competed for the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the women’s 49erFX with Paris Henken.
• Trevor Bird: 49er Veteran now racing on the AC 75.

6) Orient Express Racing Team (French Team)

• Quentin Delapierre: A former Nacra 17 sailor who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Orient Express – L’Oréal Racing Women’s Team

• Lara Granier and Amélie Riou: 49erFX sailors with a strong track record in European and World Championships.
• Manon Audinet, skipper of the french women’s AC team, was 8th Tokyo Olympics in the Nacra 17 with Quentin Delapierre.
• Audrey Ogereau: Vice World Champion, Nacra 15, Campaigned in the Nacra 17 for the Rio Olympics.

Orient Express Youth Team:

• Lou Mourniac, sailed Nacra 15, World Champion and vice-European Champion, Nacra 15
• Théo Revil: 4th Junior World Championships, 49er

7) Sail Team BCN (Spain)

Sail Team BCN Women’s Team:

• Támara Echegoyen: A multiple-time World Champion in the 49erFX and three time Olympic competitor, including a pair of 4th place finishes.
• Nicole van der Velden: A versatile sailor with experience in both the 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes.
• Maria Cantero Izquierdo: A bronze medalist at the 49erFX World Championships.
• Paula Barceló Martín, 2020 49erFX World Championship gold, a bronze from the 2022 World Championships, an Olympic diploma (4th place) at Tokyo 2021, and a bronze at the 2023 European Championship with Támara Echegoyen.

Sailt Team BCN Youth Team:

Albert Torres, Martin Wizner, Conrad Konitzer, Antonio Torrado are all 49er sailors competing in the Spanish America’s Cup Youth Team, while Marcos Fernandez  and Nico Martin come from the Nacra 17 class.

8) JAJO Team DutchSail (Netherlands)

Youth Team: 

• Bart Lambriex: The leading 49er sailor heading to Paris with three straight World Championship titles, and having participated in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics with top 10 finishes.
• Bjarne Bouwer: Nacra 17 Crew, 3rd in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games Nacra15 and 6th in the Paris Olympics with Laila Van der Meer.

Women’s Team: 

• Odile Van Aanholt and Annette Duetz, who recently won gold at the 2024 Olympics, and claimed first place at the 49erFX World Championships in 2021, 2022, and 2024, with a second-place finish in 2023. Additionally, she secured victories at the European Championships in 2021 and 2022.
• Willemijn Offerman has excelled in youth sailing, winning silver at the 2021 Youth World Championship in the 49erFX, and more recently finishing 10th at the European and 14th at the 2024 World Championships in the Nacra 17.

9) Concord Pacific Racing (Canada)

• Ali Ten Hove and Mariah Millen: A dynamic 49erFX duo with a strong presence in international competition, competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
• Andrew Wood and Jack Gogan: Representing the Canadian Youth team with a background in the 49er class.
• Galen richardson: former 49er sailors, now campaining for LA 2028 in the Nacra 17.
• Georgia Lewin-Lafrance: Paris 2024 Olympian in the 49erFX, with sister Antonia

10) AC Team Germany

• Tina Lutz: An Olympic silver medalist in the 49erFX in Tokyo and two-time European Champion.
• Carolina Werner, represented Germany, along with partner Paul Kohlhoff in the Nacra 17 at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
• Alica Stuhlemmer: Bronze medal World Championship Nacra 17, 2021, Bronze medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo Nacra 17, 2020, Paris 2024 Olympian.
• Sophie Steinlein, Jilla Paland and Maru Scheel: all sailing in the 49erFX.

• Tom Heinrich, and Linus Von Oppen, also sailed the 49er, while Jesse Lindsadt sailed the nacra 15

11) Swedish Challenge Team

• Ida Svensson: sailed Nacra17 since 2013.
• Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler: Olympic silver medalists in Paris 2024 49erFX, World champions in 2023, and silver medalists at the Worlds in 2024.
• Oscar Engström, Hugo Christensson have sailed 49er.

12) Team Australia

• Nina Curtis: An accomplished 49erFX sailor with multiple national titles.
• Lisa Darmanin: A silver medalist in the Nacra 17 class at the Rio 2016 Olympics and 5th at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Between 2014 and 2020, she clinched a total of 4 World Championships medals.
• Miles Davey: He has campaigned a NACRA 17 and crewed the 49er
• Jack Ferguson and Max Paul: recently placed 6th at the Trofeo Princess Sofia Regatta in 2024.
• Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot: placed 5th at the World Championship 2024 in Lanzarote, and has achieved multiple top10 performances in the class since 2018.
• Olivia Price: competed at the Paris  2024 Olympic Games with her team mate Evie Haseldine in the 49er FX.
• Sarah Hoffman: sailing in the Olympic Nacra 17 class since 2019
• Tom Needham: helm in the 49er class.

This diverse and talented lineup of sailors, many of whom have transitioned from the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 classes, is set to bring an exciting blend of experience and new perspectives to the America’s Cup and its associated Youth and Women’s events. The races will undoubtedly be a showcase of high-speed, strategic sailing, with many of the competitors looking to leverage their backgrounds in these dynamic Olympic classes to make their mark in Barcelona.