That was then. This is now.

When race management blunders marred the United States Olympic Sailing Trials for the 1988 Olympics, it became headline news in the Los Angeles Times. The problems had to do with the confusion of marks for the various events, but it was a quote that stands out 37 years later.

John Shadden, who went on to win the bronze medal in the Men’s 470 event at Seoul 1988, was complaining about the course length at the trials. “Our first race was only an hour and five minutes long,” Shadden said. “That’s not good at all. It doesn’t give the better sailors a chance to use all their skills. Somebody else can get a break and luck into it.”

But today that race would be considered long, according to 470 crew Lara Dallman-Weiss who competed in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. She reports the same race now is 35-55 minutes depending on the event, with target times typically at 45 minutes. Does that mean modern Olympians must be better, or luckier? Hmm…