Tita / Banti

Ruggero Tita is, quite simply, the most successful Olympic sailor Italy has ever produced. With crew Caterina Banti he won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the Nacra 17, at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, becoming the first sailor to claim two titles in the mixed multihull since its introduction at Rio 2016.

The pair's dominance extends far beyond the Games: together they have amassed four World Championship titles and four European crowns, controlling the class for the better part of a decade with a blend of boatspeed, precision and remorseless consistency. Tita's helming has set the standard others in the fleet measure themselves against.

A supremely versatile sailor, Tita has also competed at the very pinnacle of the sport in the America's Cup with Luna Rossa, bringing foiling expertise from the AC arena back into his Olympic campaign. In 2026 he and Banti confirmed a comeback together, setting their sights on an unprecedented third gold at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Caterina Banti is a double Olympic champion and, with helm Ruggero Tita, one of the greatest crews the sport has seen. The Italian pair won gold at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, making history as the first to take two Olympic titles in the Nacra 17 and becoming Italy's most decorated Olympic sailors of all time.

Banti's work in the front of the boat has been central to a record of extraordinary depth: four World Championships and four European titles alongside the two Olympic golds. The partnership's longevity and reliability under pressure have made them the benchmark of the class.

After their Paris triumph the pair stepped back before announcing, in 2026, that they would reunite to chase a third consecutive Olympic gold at Los Angeles 2028, a feat that would further cement Banti's place in sailing history.