Hans Henken and Skipper Ian Barrows Win Gold at Pan Am Games

This week we’re giving a “shout-out” to three Bay Area sailors who had success at the Pan Am Games, as they pursue their Olympic dreams. On Monday we congratulated Daniela Moroz, who took the gold in the Women’s Formula Kite class; on Wednesday David Liebenberg, who, with skipper Sarah Newberry Moore, took silver in the Nacra 17 class; and today we recognize Bay Area sailor Hans Henken, who, with skipper Ian Barrows, took the gold in the 49er class. The US has now qualified to race in six of the 10 Olympic classes, including the 49er, competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. With a gold at the Pan Am Games, Barrows and Henken demonstrated they remain top contenders to be our US representatives in Marseille.

It was a consistent performance throughout the week that kept Barrows and Henken in contention. In the final 49er medal race, the USA and Uruguay battled it out for gold at the front of the fleet. The USA team of Ian Barrows and Hans Henken covered Uruguay on the first upwind and stayed ahead to take the gold medal.

Henken grew up sailing in San Diego, though he’s recently moved to the Bay Area. He’s also been racing with SailGP and suffered a concussion while racing with the team in Taranto, Italy, at the end of September. It’s good to see him back on his game!

“It feels amazing to win gold,” Henken said. “There has been a lot of hard work put in with our team, and to pull it off and take away a gold medal is a fantastic feeling.”

Barrows added, “It’s pretty incredible to be on the podium and hear your national anthem. We’re incredibly excited to be here and win the gold medal. This is a stepping stone for us to the Olympic Games and we hope to be on the podium there as well.”

There’s a long list of successful Bay Area Olympic sailors, and it’s great to see the next generation of Olympians emerging from the Bay Area sailing scene. Congrats to Daniela Moroz, David Liebenberg and Hans Henken.

As with all US Olympic athletes, it takes more than dedicated training to get to the event. You can be part of the Olympic team by supporting the Barrows/Henken team here.

You can listen to our Good Jibes podcast with Hans Henken here.