MARSEILLE, FRANCE (17 July 2023) – Two race wins in two classes kicked off a great week of sport for the US Sailing Team at the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille, France. Now 375 days out from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the USA Team is leaving Marseille with invaluable racing experience on future Olympic waters in a high-pressure scenario. Athletes and staff are returning home with heightened knowledge of weather characteristics on the five course areas, increased familiarity with venue logistics, and dialed-in operations routines.
Daniela Moroz secured both a bronze medal at the future Olympic venue and her nomination to Team USA for the Paris 2024 Games in the Women’s Formula Kite, per US Sailing’s Selection Procedures. With the first step to Paris checked off her list, Moroz will now turn her attention to qualifying the USA for a Paris 2024 spot in the Women’s Formula Kite at the Sailing World Championships in The Hague, The Netherlands from August 10-20.
“The goal this week was getting on the podium to secure the Team USA nomination, and I’m proud of the work my team and I put in to get it done,” said Moroz. “I’m excited and honored to be one step closer to representing USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and I’ve got my sights set on country qualification in The Hague next month. Racing on Olympic waters this week was really valuable and I’m hungry to come back and get the result I know I can achieve.”
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- 3 – Daniela Moroz, Women’s Formula Kite*
- 4 – Stephanie Roble & Maggie Shea, 49er FX*
- 5 – Stu McNay & Lara Dallman-Weiss, Mixed 470*
- 6 – Ian Barrows & Hans Henken, 49er*
- 10 – Erika Reineke, ILCA 6*
- 10 – Sarah Newberry Moore & David Liebenberg, Nacra 17*
- 12 – Noah Lyons, Men’s iQFOiL
- 17 – Dominique Stater, Women’s iQFOiL
- 27 – Chapman Petersen, ILCA 7
- 19 – Markus Edegran, Men’s Formula Kite (Injury)**
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* Medal Race Participant
**Markus Edegran sustained an injury to his foot on day two of racing in the penultimate race of the day. He was bandaged by Coach Steve Keen, raced the final race of the day, and was treated immediately upon returning to shore by US Sailing Team Physio, Dr. Chris Ellis. Markus is on the mend and is eager to heal quickly and get back on the water.
Erika Reineke logged the most dramatic Medal Race of the ten US Sailing Team athletes who advanced to Finals, rocketing from near last to a race win. Erika’s Medal Race win ultimately did not affect her 10th overall score (missing 9th by one point), but it will go down in the books as one of the best races of the week in Marseille, and she proved her skills on one of the most important stages in the lead up to the Paris Games.
Reineke came into the Medal Race in 10th out of the 10 top women with nothing to lose and bolted to the right side of the course when the rest of the fleet went left. The wind was coming from the direction of the marina and the windward mark was set just outside the harbor, and the other nine athletes sought the pressure lanes making their way down the left.
She rounded the first windward mark in 9th, hot on the heels of the tight 1-8 pack and a gap behind her to 10th and kicked it into high gear flying downwind at 12 knots, according to the tracker.
Erika chose the course left gate and gained some height on the half of the fleet that went right, tacked onto port to chase their pod, then lee-bowed the group and led them back to the left.
And before spectators at the bottom of the course knew it, Reineke was leading the ILCA 6 Medal Race of the Test Event, bow reaching for the sky as she bulleted down the final reach leg through the gate and onto the finish.
Overall, the week was a confidence boost for the USA and confirmation that efforts are paying off across the board. “We made some good gains on the water and came away with important experience learning the venue that we can build into institutional knowledge for the future Paris 2024 Olympic Team,” said Sally Barkow, US Olympic Sailing Head of Operations. “We had great collaboration between coaches, the staff worked really efficiently, and I’m proud of what we accomplished as a team. We have a solid foundation to build upon for 2024.”
Next, American athletes will work to qualify the USA in all ten Olympic classes at the Sailing World Championships in The Hague, The Netherlands from August 11-20. A high enough finishing place by any American boat will secure a berth in Paris 2024 in that class for the USA, and 48 athletes will be putting their best foot forward in 25 days. Find more information about the Paris 2024 Country Qualification System for Sailing here.
Competing at the Sailing World Championships and representing the United States: 48 Olympic class athletes, 16 coaches, 18 support staff, 5 Para Sailing athletes (87 total USA personnel)
Editorial photos: https://usst.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000cjJiCOVM7EE/G0000B_KrktFlG1M/USA-Test-Event-Editorial-Photos (reference metadata for credits)
For media inquiries: Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team Media & Communications – allisonchenard@ussailing.org +1 (401) 342-7962