The Medalist Newsletter is your source for updates on the US Sailing Team, the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program, and the Olympic Development Program. This is our path to the podium.
In This Issue:
- Introducing: The US Sailing Team Squad
- Meet the 2019 US Sailing Team
- The U.S. Brings Home Two Medals at 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami
US Sailing has created the US Sailing Team Squad in an effort to support potential US Sailing Team (USST) athletes. By identifying athletes as Squad members, US Sailing will more formally recognize individuals striving for a place on the Olympic podium and competing at the highest levels of the sport.
Sailors who have been named to the Squad will work alongside the USST athletes and will have opportunities to represent the USST brand. They will also receive USST support for coaching, fitness, fundraising, and logistics.
The creation of the Squad ensures that deserving athletes are captured and supported along their journey to the Olympic podium. The Squad is designed to create a collaborative effort to raise overall U.S. performance, which in turn meets the athletes’ objectives of standing atop the Olympic podium.
2019 US Sailing Team Squad Athletes
Note: Squad roster is pending official athlete agreement
The National Team is selected annually and consists of the top sailors competing in the events selected for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Through the US Sailing Team and its sponsors, qualified athletes on the Olympic path receive financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing, and communications support.
The first group of U.S. sailors to earn selection to the 2019 team did so by placing in the top 20 at the 2018 Hempel World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. At the event, six athletes secured a spot on the 2019 team, well before the year began.
Earlier this month, more athletes qualified for selection to the 2019 US Sailing Team by placing in the top 10 at the Hempel World Cup Series Miami. This group includes five boats comprised of nine athletes.
Athletes Qualified to the 2019 US Sailing Team
Note: Team roster is pending official athlete agreement
Super Sunday was exactly that for two members of the US Sailing Team. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) and Luke Muller (Fort Pierce, Fla.) stood on the podium to accept a silver and bronze medal, respectively, for their performances in the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, a crucial milestone on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The medals were the brightest reward from the day’s sailing for U.S. sailors, but there were positive takeaways throughout the five medal races on the final day of competition at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, which celebrated 30 years of Olympic-class yachting on Biscayne Bay. All told, eight American sailors participated in the final day of competition and came away with some strong individual race performances.
“The team performance is way up, and it’s been a lot of hard work to get here. I remember a significant moment in Aarhus [at the World Championships] when we realized our performance wasn’t going as well as expected—on average. We sat down with the coaches and brainstormed over what needed to be done to achieve that. Our big takeaway from that was to build confidence. We know our athletes have the talent, but they don’t always have that confidence to do it at the world championship level. We said that 2019 had to be our year to achieve that. We’ve had a great week, and the year's only just begun." Malcolm Page, Chief of U.S. Olympic Sailing
Pictured: Dave Hughes and Stu McNay (US Sailing Team athletes, Men's 470)
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Credits:
Jen Edny & Sailing Energy