USA a Tiebreaker Away from the Podium in Oman
Oman played host to the 2021 49er and Nacra 17 Worlds on November 16-21. The final fleet and medal races yesterday highlighted strategy, execution and nail-biting finishes. Ian Barrows and Hans Henken tied for third place, barely missing the bronze medal by a tiebreaker and ultimately finishing fourth in a field of 36 skiffs from 21 nations.
The 29-year-old Hans Henken, you might recall, comes from the San Diego area. In college, he sailed for Stanford, where he became the 2015 Conference Male Athlete of the Year, and went on to join the US SailGP team. He belongs to Coronado Yacht Club and St. Francis YC.
“This was our first Worlds as a team, so our goal was to finish 10th in the fleet races and get a shot at the medal race,” said Hans. “Heading into the medal race with at least a top-10 finish locked in gave us a sense of freedom to sail and lay it all out on the water. We executed, we had fun, and we walked away with a fourth-place finish. We’re proud of what we accomplished as a team and are just really stoked.”
Fellow US team members Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid claimed sixth. In the 22-skiff women’s 49FX division, Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea finished eighth, while Lucy Wilmot and Erika Reineke placed 20th.
“We came together in Oman and worked hard as a team,” said Paul Cayard, executive director of US Olympic Sailing. “As a result, our 49ers finished the highest they have at this regatta in decades. It’s great to see the hard work pay off, and we build on this from here.”
Olympic sailor Riley Gibbs is coaching the American Nacra 17 team of mixed-gender foiling catamarans. Gibbs, a 25-year-old from Long Beach, sailed with Henken on the US SailGP team. He went to Orange Coast College and belongs to Alamitos Bay YC and StFYC.
Read more about Henken and Gibbs in the April 2019 issue of Latitude 38, and a profile of Riley Gibbs in the May 2020 issue.
For complete results, news and video from the Worlds in Oman, see https://49er.org/event/2021-world-championship.