Skiff teams lead USA contingent

The race toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics has begun as nearly 800 boats and boards competed on March 31-April 5 at the 2025 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca in Mallorca, Spain. Twelve nations won medals, seven winning multiple medals, with Great Britain (9) and Italy (5) as the dominant performers.

For the USA, there were 29 athletes competing in eight of the 10 Olympic events, with no representation in the Mixed Two Person Dinghy (470) and Women’s Kiteboard (Formula Kite). No medals were won, but there was promise from the aspiring US Olympians working with America One Racing (A1R). Here’s an update from the organization.

All nine athletes who make up America One Racing’s Project Podium Team competed in the Princess Sofia Regatta. This was the first major regatta of the European season, and the first full test at the start of the 2028 Olympic Quad. The team hit the ground running after solid winter training blocks in locations including Argentina, Guatemala, Egypt, Florida, and Spain.

Standout performances included both A1R skiff teams.

Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid placed 6th in the 91 boat 49er fleet. Nevin and Ian are individually quite experienced in the class but brand new as a team, with this being their first major international regatta together. Major training blocks in Argentina and Florida this winter led by coach Klaus Lange paid big dividends. They sailed extremely well in a strong fleet, showing they can be a force to contend with at the LA 2028 Games.

After a short break they are on to Hyeres Regatta (late April), and then the European Championships (Greece in early June). “Having been out of the boat for a year with only a few months of training, we are really happy with our first test and looking for more in a few weeks in Hyeres,” reports Ian.

Paris Henken and Helena Scutt were very young Olympians in Rio 2016, and have now teamed up again nine years later. Despite a fairly short lead-up (they started training together seven weeks before the regatta), a strong process-oriented approach led primarily by coaches Willie McBride (training) and Hans Henken (regatta) helped them achieve consistent incremental gains.

They finished qualification in 18th, moved up to 10th by the end of Gold Fleet racing to qualify for the Medal Race, then had a 4th in the Medal Race to finish 8th overall in a fleet of 46. “We were pleasantly surprised with our performance,” admitted Paris. “I think this shows how much potential we have as a team.

“We have a lot to learn, but Helena has gotten back up to speed really quickly after nine years out of the boat. This gives us confidence that we are on the right path as we push towards LA 2028.”

Charlotte Rose finished 13th in the 114 boat ILCA 6 class. Charlotte and her coach Nick Thompson are also taking a very process-oriented approach to the 2025 season, and are building towards the ILCA 6 Worlds in China in May.

Noah Runciman also finished 13th out of 63 in the Formula Kite fleet. This was his best ever finish in a major event, and he and his coach Chris Rashley have a solid training and racing plan leading towards the 2025 Formula Kite Worlds in Sardinia.

2024 Olympian Noah Lyons battled through illness to finish 21st in a fleet of 111 iQFOiL windsurfers. He rallied for an amazing scoreline on Day 3 of the event, winning all 4 of his heats and showing his potential to battle for future podiums.

Noah’s 17-year old training partner Makani Andrews also had an exceptional performance in his first ever senior (adult) international IQ event, qualifying for Gold Fleet and ending up 40th overall. Dominique Stater flashed some strong upwind speed at times, but inconsistencies led to an overall finish of 30th.

Led by coaches Juanma Moreno (IQ Men) and Pedro Pascual (IQ Women), the A1R IQ Program is clearly showing promise for 2028 and beyond.

The America One Racing Team was supported in Palma by six coaches and a physio, as well as A1R Executive Director Leandro Spina and Head Coach Charlie McKee. High level remote weather forecasting and rules advisory services were also provided.

After a short recovery period, most of the team reconvenes in Hyeres France for the Semaine Olympique Francaise Regatta on April 21-26.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Los Angeles or Long Beach
Dates: July 21-August 6