Paris Olympics: What to know and who to watch during the sailing competition

By The Associated Press The Associated Press

FILE - United States Olympic sailing team member Daniela Moroz kiteboards during a training session in Hyeres, southern France, April 29, 2024. Turns out Olympians and Paralympians are just like us: They watch the Summer Games or Winter Games on TV and think about which sports they would love to try. The difference, of course, is that the folks heading to Paris in July and August, already have a sport — and already are quite good at it. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Daniel Cole]

A roadmap to follow for the sailing competition at the Paris Games:

Athletes to Watch

—Marit Bouwmeester, Netherlands: She’s returning for her fourth Games in the ILCA 6, formerly known as laser, after a bronze in Tokyo, gold in Rio de Janeiro and silver in London.

—Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, Brazil: They won gold medals at the last two Olympics in the women’s skiff known as 49erFX. They face stiff competition from Dutch duo Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz, the current world champions, and Sweden’s team of Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler, world champions in 2023.

—Max Maeder, Singapore: At only 17, he’s widely considered the man to beat in kitesurfing.

—Stu McNay, United States: The 42-year-old McNay has competed in the past four Olympics and will race in Marseille in the mixed dinghy known as 470 together with Lara Dallman-Weiss. The reigning world champions in this new Olympic event are Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman.

—Daniela Moroz, United States: The San Francisco Bay area native has won six world championships in kitesurfing.

—Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, Italy: The gold medalists in Tokyo in the Nacra 17 are the current world champions, too. But their training partners, Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet, are also vying for the top of the podium.

—Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin, France: The 2024 world champions in the 49er are looking for a home Olympic medal.

Storylines to Follow

— Kitesurfing is a new sport at these Games for men and women — and the athletes will compete at some of the fastest speeds of any Olympic sports in the open sea.

—Windsurfing-iQFOiL is also new, adding a foil to the board that has made it a much faster event and opened up the competition. The other events are men’s and women’s dinghy and skiff plus two mixed races — dinghy and multihull.

—U.S. redemption, British dominance? The once-dominant U.S. Olympic sailing team has been in a persistent slump since the 2012 Games, but it’s looking for redemption with veterans like Stu McNay (mixed 470s) and six-time world champion Daniela Moroz (kitesurfing). Meanwhile, Britain, which overtook the U.S. on the all-time sailing medals table, has podium prospects across several events.

Key Dates

Racing starts July 28 in Marseille. The last day of finals is Aug. 8, for men’s and women’s kitesurfing. The other medal race days: Aug. 1 for the 49er and 49erFX; Aug. 2 for men’s and women’s windsurfing; Aug. 6 for the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7; and Aug. 7 for the mixed boats, 470 and Nacra 17.

Reigning Champions

—Women’s dinghy: Anne-Marie Rindom, Denmark.

—Women’s skiff: Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, Brazil.

—Men’s dinghy: Matt Wearn, Australia.

—Men’s skiff: Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell, Britain.

—Mixed multihull: Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, Italy.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games