MIAMI, FLORIDA (13 January 24) – After eight days of competition, US Sailing declared winners in five of the Olympic sailing disciplines at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Sailing. Having already secured country qualification in 2023, Women’s iQFOiL athlete Dominique Stater and 49er team Ian Barrows and Hans Henken are fully confirmed to represent Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Stu McNay and Lara Dallman-Weiss in the Mixed 470, Noah Lyons in the Men’s iQFOiL, and Markus Edegran in the Men’s Formula Kite completed the first of their two-part process to get to Marseille and will now work to qualify the USA for spots in their respective classes.
Competitors were tested with a wide range of conditions on two course areas – one on the Atlantic Ocean off South Beach and the other in Biscayne Bay. At the beginning of the week, a front tested the athletes’ skills in big wind and waves. As the clouds cleared on Thursday, breeze moderated to classic Miami conditions.
The top three 49er teams battled for the lead all week, with everything coming down to the last few races on Saturday. Ian Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.) took the win over Andrew Mollerus (Larchmont, NY) and Ian MacDiarmid (Delray Beach, Fla.) by three points. Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.) and Mac Agnese (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) came in third with an impressive final day, winning two of the last three races.
“It could have been anyone’s regatta any day, so we’re really honored to have won in the end,” said Ian Barrows. “We can all take credit as a group for what will hopefully be a good Olympic result in the 49er for the US.”
“It’s a huge relief to be able to say that we’re going to go represent the United States at the Olympic Games,” said Henken. “We’ve been working towards this for a very long time and to be able to accomplish this is huge for us.”
In the Women’s iQFOiL, overall winner Dominique Stater (Miami, FL) built momentum over the course of the regatta, eventually pulling ahead to secure her win on points before the final two races. Ultimately, she won 14 of the 27 races sailed in the Women’s iQFOiL fleet.
“It was an awesome and exciting but also long and stressful week,” said Stater. “I had some great battles with the fleet and I’m very relieved that it’s over and that the path is cleared to Paris.”
“It was awesome to do the Trials at Miami Yacht Club because I used to come sail with the boys here on Techno 293s all those years ago,” Stater said, reminiscing about her home club and home waters. “I’d go out to Miramar across the bridge with the Nores brothers (runner up in the Men’s iQFOiL) and the Cramers, and I’ve known Florencia, Miami Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Manager, all through childhood, so it was great to have her here.”
Though Stu McNay (Providence, RI) and Lara Dallman-Weiss (Shoreview, Minn.) led the 470 event throughout the regatta, they didn’t clinch the win and their athlete selection until the final day. The team was on high alert, with the competition hot on their heels all eight days. Louisa Nordstrom (Sarasota, Fla.) and Trevor Bornarth (Port Salerno, Fla.) finished close behind in second by only one point, followed by Carmen Cowles (Larchmont, NY) and Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.) in third.
If they qualify the country, this will be a return trip to the Olympics for both McNay and Dallman-Weiss. McNay is a four-time Olympian (Beijing, London, Rio, and Tokyo), while Dallman-Weiss made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games. McNay and Dallman-Weiss will look to fully secure their ticket to Paris by qualifying the USA at the 470 World Championship in Palma de Mallorca this February 24 – March 3.
First and second place Men’s iQFOiL riders Noah Lyons (Clearwater, Fla.) and Geronimo Nores (Miami, Fla.) traded the lead up until the last day of racing. It all came down to the final race where Lyons was able to pull ahead, clinching first place overall by one point. Nores took second, while Alex Temko (Clearwater, Fla.) came third. With his win, Lyons will receive US Sailing’s nomination for Team USA and will now work to qualify the USA at the Last Chance Regatta in Hyères, France, April 20-27, as the second of his two-part path to Paris.
Markus Edegran (Stuart, Fla.) lead the Men’s Formula Kite class, finishing first with 35 points, having held the lead for the majority of the event. Kai Calder (Delray Beach, Fla.) ended in second place with 45 points, trailed closely by Noah Runciman (Houston, TX) in third place with 48 points. Edegran achieves individual athlete selection and will have one more chance to qualify the country at the Last Chance Regatta in Hyères, France, April 20-27.
Top 3 in each class, FINAL RESULTS:
- 49er – Ian Barrows & Hans Henken (32), Andrew Mollerus & Ian MacDiarmid (35), Nevin Snow & Mac Agnese (36)
- Men’s iQFOiL – Noah Lyons (34), Geronimo Nores (35), Alex Temko (70)
- Men’s Kite – Markus Edegran (35), Kai Calder (45), Noah Runciman (48)
- Mixed 470 – Stu McNay & Lara Dallman-Weiss (20), Louisa Nordstrom & Trevor Bornarth (21), Carmen Cowles & David Hughes (25)
- Women’s iQFOiL – Dominique Stater (32), Bryn Muller (39), Anna Weis (69)