BRISTOL, RI (28 May 2024) – US Sailing has named the 14 US Youth Team athletes who will represent USA at the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships. The 53rd edition of the premier event in international youth sailing will take place July 13-20 in Lake Garda, Italy and is open to athletes under age 19. “I can’t imagine a more iconic European venue for this year’s event,” remarked Phil Muller, US Sailing Youth Performance Manager and Head Coach. “The Youth World Championships is the pinnacle regatta on our annual calendar. To me, it is the ultimate display of sailing skill, national pride and international competition.”
US Youth Team athletes were selected based on the results of a single qualification regatta for each class: the Nacra 15 Midwinter’s East Championship hosted by Lauderdale Yacht Club (FL), iQFOiL Ring of Fire Championship hosted by Kaneohe Yacht Club (HI), and the ILCA, 29er, i420 Midwinters West Championship hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (CA). Find more information on how they were selected HERE.
2024 US Youth Team:
-
-
- Male Windsurfer – iQFOiL Youth
-
- Makani Andrews (Kaneohe, HI)*
-
- Female Windsurfer – iQFOiL Youth
-
- Sage Andrews (Kaneohe, HI)*
-
- Male One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
-
- Jake Homberger (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
-
- Female One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
-
- Isabella Mendoza Cabezas (Miami, FL)
-
- Male/Mixed Skiff – 29er
-
- Fynn Olsen & Pierce Olsen (Miami Beach, FL)
-
- Female Skiff – 29er
-
- Annie Sitzmann & Molly Bonham (Severna Park, MD / Annapolis, MD)
-
- Male/Mixed Two Person Dinghy – i420
-
- Freddie Parkin* & Estella Morris (Riverside, CT / Larchmont, NY)
-
- Female Two Person Dinghy – i420
-
- Ava McAliley & Michelle Kaneti (Miami, FL / Mamaroneck, NY)
-
- Mixed Two Person Multihull – Nacra 15
-
- Dylan Tomko & Casey Small (Canyon Lake, TX / Houston, TX)
-
- Male Windsurfer – iQFOiL Youth
-
*Denotes returning 2023 Youth Worlds Team Member
2024 Youth Worlds Regatta Coaches: Phil Muller (iQFOiL, Team Leader), Sophia Reineke (ILCA 6), Paris Henken (29er), Steve Keen (i420), Rosie Chapman (Nacra 15)
“The Youth Worlds is a life-changing and defining event for every athlete who earns their spot on Team USA,” said Muller. “Americans are bold competitors and this year’s team is made of athletes who have proven the caliber of their skill at home and abroad. We look forward to coming together as a team and representing our country.”
With the Youth Worlds just a few months away, team members will participate in training blocks alongside training partners who earned an invitation based on their results at qualifying regattas. The US Youth Championship on June 22-25 in Bristol, RI will be a final opportunity for team members to hone their skills prior to the Worlds.
John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Competition Manager, added “we were thrilled to see the tight competition at each of the qualifier regattas for this year’s US Youth Team. Across the country, the skill level is high and athletes are pushing each other to improve. To all youth sailors striving to be their best, we have one message: keep going, and we are here to support you. We are excited to see you at US Sailing events this year!”
2024 Youth World Qualifier Regatta Recaps
Nacra 15 Midwinters East 2024 – January 13-15 – Lauderdale Yacht Club – Fort Lauderdale, FL
The Nacra 15 Youth Team of Dylan Tomko and Casey Smalls won the Nacra 15 Midwinters East racing on the Atlantic Ocean off Fort Lauderdale, FL. Lauderdale Yacht Club hosted the regatta and was also the site of the 2023 Nacra 15 World Championship, proving yet again to be a world class venue delivering windy, wavy conditions.
Top 5:
-
-
- Dylan Tomko/Casey Smalls (Youth Worlds Nacra 15 Mixed)
- Cody Roe/Brooke Mertz
- Connor Mertz/Dmytro Iegorov
- Sophie Niemann/Tom Seibold
- KJ Hill/Ella Valentina Agnese
-
iQFOiL Ring of Fire Regatta – March 14-17 – Kaneohe Yacht Club – Kaneohe, HI
The iQFOiL Ring of Fire regatta hosted by Kaneohe Yacht Club featured a series of light air slalom and course races on the scenic waters of Kaneohe Bay. Makani Andrews battled Garrett January trading leads throughout the series, with Nico Perez a close third. Elizaveta Astakhova finished in fifth, just ahead of Sage Andrews and GraceAnna Dixon.
Top 5:
-
-
- Makani Andrews (Youth Worlds iQFOiL Male)
- Garrett January
- Mateo Cortes
- Nicolai Perez
- Elizaveta Astakhova
- Sage Andrews (Youth Worlds iQFOiL Female)
-
ILCA, 29er, i420 Midwinters West – March 21-24 – Alamitos Bay Yacht Club – Long Beach, CA
23 i420s, 27 29ers, and 80 ILCA 6s competed in the Midwinters West Championship in a variety of conditions. Days one and two both started with light wind around 5-8 kts building to a 10-14 kt sea breeze in the late afternoon. Day three challenged sailors with rain and wind building to 15- 20 kts and large swells, while the fourth and final day featured ideal 12-18 knot winds on the “stadium” course area that will be used for the Medal Races at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Top 10 ILCA 6:
-
-
- Lillian Myers
- Sullivan Nakatsu
- Jake Homberger (Youth Worlds ILCA 6 Male)
- Carlos Charabati
- James Pine
- Sebastian Johan Van de Kreeke
- Isabella Mendoza Cabezas (Youth Worlds ILCA 6 Female)
- Cole Fanchi
- William Baker
- Rory Walsh
-
Top 10 29er:
-
-
- Fynn Olsen/Pierce Olsen (Youth Worlds 29er Male/Mixed)
- William Stratton/Ronan Curnyn
- Anton Schmid/Ian Nyenhuis
- Kevin Cason/Holland Vierling
- Logan Mraz/Finn Steinborn
- Annie Sitzmann/Molly Bonham (Youth Worlds 29er Female)
- Dylan Sih/Wyatt Kelly
- Callum Ruch/Nicole Otton
- Tom Desrochers/Henry Simms
- Andrew Lamm/George Turner
-
Top 10 i420
-
-
- Freddie Parkin/Estella Morris (Youth Worlds 420 Male/Mixed)
- Richard Sykes/Violet Martin
- Harrison Gandy/Reid Packard
- Glen Foster/Pierpaolo Baldassari
- Ava McAliley/Michelle Kaneti (Youth Worlds 420 Female)
- Helena Borcherding/Genevieve Schmidt
- Calebe Everett/Nicolas Anders
- Melanie Lahrkamp/Isabel Brewer
- Amelia Woodworth/Elizabeth Wire
- Leo Robillard/Gavin Murphy
-