US Sailing today announced Marcus Lynch, an accomplished professional sailor athlete, coach, and Olympic performance manager, as US Sailing’s High Performance Director. Lynch will lead the US Sailing Team and all its associated high‐performance programs, including the US Olympic Sailing Team, the Pan American Sailing Team, and the Olympic Development Sailing Program, for US Sailing, the sport’s national governing body.
“We are thrilled to welcome Marcus to the US Sailing family,” said Alan Ostfield, CEO of US Sailing. “Marcus brings a wealth of experiences and successes from highly regarded international sailing programs where he successfully designed, implemented, and managed cultural, procedural, and practical changes within Olympic programs. US Sailing has made strong organizational strides over the past few years, and Marcus is well-positioned to drive the level of success in this critical area that we all would naturally expect.”
Lynch, who has been involved in professional sailing since 2000, served as a full-time athlete for the British Sailing Team in the Tornado Class from 2000-2008, then as a consultant from 2008 to 2016, where he coordinated the British Sailing Teams Paralympic training and preparation activities in Rio ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games where the British Sailing Team secured a Bronze Medal in both the 2.4 and Skud. After the Rio 2016 Games, Lynch joined the German Sailing Team as the Olympic Performance Coach for the Nacra 17, securing the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. In 2019, Lynch became the Olympic Performance Manager, and in 2021 the German Sailing Team had their most successful Olympic Performance in over two decades, securing the Silver Medal in the Fx, the Bronze Medal in the 49er, and the Bronze Medal in the Nacra 17 at the Tokyo 2021 Games. In addition to his Olympic and Paralympic Roles, Lynch has a wealth of coaching experience in professional sailing circuits such as SailGP and the former extreme sailing series, giving a broad and unique perspective across sailboat racing.
“I am thrilled to join US Sailing in this important role and at this critical time,” said Lynch. “The US Sailing Team has a solid foundation with great passion and drive. I am excited to bring my two decades of experiences in other successful programs to support the US Sailing Team to achieve its full potential as a World Class Sailing Team on the Olympic stage in Paris 2024, at the home Games in Los Angeles 2028, and beyond.”
Lynch will join US Sailing following an extensive global search. A diverse committee comprised of current athletes, US Sailing Association board members, US Sailing Foundation board members, Olympians, staff, a USOPC representative, and world champions conducted the search for this next leader of the US Olympic Sailing Team. The Olympic Team Leadership search committee received dozens of applications from many qualified candidates, conducted first and second interviews with select groups of candidates, and ultimately selected Lynch to fill the role.
“On behalf of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, I offer congratulations to Marcus on being named High Performance Director at US Sailing,” said Finbarr Kirwan, Senior Vice President, Chief of Olympic Sport, USOPC. “With his breadth of experience in managing successful performance programs, Marcus will bring an innovative approach to the US Sailing Team that will prove valuable for both for the athletes competing on the global stage today, and for the next generation of aspiring Team USA athletes as well.”
Lynch will develop and lead coaches and staff to support world-class athletes in achieving their highest level of performance and success in international competitions. With his extensive experience as a manager, athlete, and coach on both the British and German sailing teams, Lynch is poised to provide the support needed by athletes and create the infrastructure necessary for success on the podium in Paris 2024 and beyond.
“Marcus will be a tremendous asset to the US Olympic Sailing Team,” said Stephen Park CBE, 2001-17 Olympic Manager for the British Sailing Team and Team GB’s most successful Olympic team manager. “Marcus is bringing with him tremendous success and experience from his work with both the British and German sailing programs, and I am confident in his abilities to set up the U.S. for success.”
US Sailing is grateful to Sarah Lihan and Henry Brauer who have overseen the team during this interim period, the many athletes, staff, and volunteers who contributed to the search process, and the steadfast Olympic staff and coaches for their commitment to the athletes. Lynch will begin his work with US Sailing in early January after which he can be reached at marcuslynch@ussailing.org.
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the National Governing Body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and advancement for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Bristol, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About the US Sailing Team
The US Sailing Team is an annually selected group of the top-performing Olympic-class sailors in the United States. The team is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the National Governing Body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support, as well as by managing the U.S. athlete selection system for the sailing events of the Olympic Games. US Sailing Team sponsors include Technical Apparel Partner Gill Marine, IR&D sponsors, Garmin, Nimbix and Siemens, and Equipment Sponsors Harken, McLube, New England Ropes, Oakley, Yeti, Oro Sports, and Harken Derm. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics.
About the US Sailing Foundation
The US Sailing Foundation secures the resources required for US Sailing to develop innovative and dynamic programs to support sailors aspiring to race at the highest levels of domestic and international competition. Donations to the US Sailing Foundation support the sport of sailing by expanding access, providing the highest standards in education, and fostering competitive excellence for all sailors. Every dollar is invested to build a strong and vibrant future for our sport.