Pictured: Pascual (USA 11, left) and Lopez (USA 5, right) competing at Sailing World Cup Miami in January, the first Rio 2016 selection event.
Men’s RS:X (Men’s Board)
Rio 2016 Olympic Athlete Selection Series, Current Standings:
Updates:
Pictured: Pedro Pascual (Miami, Fla.), Men’s RS:X, US Sailing Team Sperry, races in Palma de Mallorca. Photo: Jesus Renedo/Sailing Energy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2016
Palma de Mallorca, Spain. – RS:X athlete Pedro Pascual (Miami, Fla.) has earned selection to the Rio 2016 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team based on the results of the US Sailing Olympic Athlete Selection Series in the Men’s Board. This will be the first career Olympic Games appearance for Pascual, who is taking time off from his studies at Florida Atlantic University to pursue his dream of representing the United States in Rio.
“I’m still processing it. I can’t believe it,” said Pascual. “It will take some days, probably weeks, to finally realize that I’ve qualified, and that I’ve done this. I’m really happy. All the work is paying off, and I can’t wait for the Olympics.”
The Trofeo Princesa Sofia (March 25 – April 2) in Palma served as the second and final Rio 2016 selection event for the Men’s RS:X. Going into the regatta, the US Sailing Team Sperry’s Pascual held a slim lead in the two-regatta selection series over American competitors Raul Lopez (Miami, Fla.) and fellow national team athlete Carson Crain (Houston, Texas.).
Lopez jumped out to an early lead in the regatta among the American contingent, and looked strong after the first pair of races. Nevertheless, Pascual steadily worked his way up to gain the best position of the three, and capped his performance with a strong 7th place gold fleet finish in the final (full-fleet) race of the event to clinch Olympic selection.
Pascual got his start in sailing early, through his family. “My dad was a windsurfer, and so one day, we tried it, and I loved it. Ever since that day, my whole life has been windsurfing. The Floridian noted that he revels in the highly active nature of board racing, and the all-encompassing challenge it presents. “[The RS:X] is totally different from any other Olympic [sailing] class. It’s very physical, and you’re standing up while going as fast as you can. I just love it.”
✅ QUALIFIED
CONGRATS to @USSailingTeam‘s Pedro Pascual! ⛵️#Rio2016 🇺🇸 https://t.co/hXq9fIj8k0 pic.twitter.com/lsbEJn5T9r
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) April 1, 2016
Pascual’s performance breakthrough came in 2015, when he won the RS:ONE European Championship, and made the gold fleet at the RS:X European Championship. He followed up in early 2016 by making gold fleet at the RS:X World Championship in Eilat, Israel.
Pascual said a team-centric approach has been key to his ascent. “I’ve been working a lot with [former US Sailing Team Sperry sailor] Raul Lopez, and it’s been great. We’ve been doing a lot. We have both been improving together at the same level, and slowly getting there. We’ve been training at Miami Yacht Club for the whole year. Hopefully we can improve as a team. In 2015 I came here to Spain, and started training with Olympic sailors in the RS:X, and I’ve improved a lot here too.”
Pascual said he’d love to see more Americans trying out board sailing, and that he aims to serve as a positive example.”I hope having a good result at the Olympics will make everyone more active in the sport, and follow the sport more.”
See Also: Full U.S. Olympic Team Selection Tracker (All Classes)
Note: All athletes named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).
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Press Contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing. willricketson@ussailing.org, +1 (978) 697-2384.
February 2:
Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia (March 26-April 2) – Event Homepage & Results
January 29:
Sailing World Cup Miami Recap – Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.), leads Carson Crain (Houston, Texas) by eight points in the Men’s RS:X, and also qualified the country for Rio 2016 in the RS:X during the event in Miami.
Sailing World Cup Miami was a U.S. Olympic Team selection event for the Men’s RS:X class. The second and final event will be the Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, March 26-April 2, 2016.
Pictured: Carson Crain (Houston, Texas, pictured), RS:X, US Sailing Team Sperry
Names to Watch:
- Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry: Pascual is one of the top young board sailing talents in the U.S., and made the US Sailing Team Sperry for the first time in 2016. Pascual won the youth RSOne European Championships in 2015, and made gold fleet at the Olympic-level RS:X European Championship.
- Carson Crain (Houston, Texas, pictured), US Sailing Team Sperry: Crain has been the top performer on the national team for the past two years, and won the right to represent the United States at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, and the 2015 Rio Olympic Test Event.
Pictured: Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla., left) and Raul Lopez (Miami, Fla., right), US Sailing Team Sperry
