2008 Summer Olympic Games Preview - Sailing
July 25, 2008
The United States Olympic Sailing Program is in the midst of an exciting resurgence, fueled by
unprecedented talent and a strong spirit. Under the new leadership of Olympic Sailing Committee
Chairman Dean Brenner, Olympic Director Katie Kelly and High Performance Director Gary Bodie and a
new generation of sailing talent, the sport is building a new program of strength on and off the water.
The U.S. sailing team is highly competitive with the best in the world in many Olympic Classes. The team
has had an unprecedented number of athletes who have produced exceptional results, including podium
finishes at the top-three international regattas: U.S. Sailing's Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta
(OCR) in Miami, FL, Kiel Week in Kiel, Germany and the Holland Regatta.
The sport of sailing makes its 24th appearance in the Summer Olympics and will be held at Qingdao
Olympic Sailing Center. Qingdao is a Chinese coastal city that faces the Yellow Sea to the east and
south. Some weather forecasters are calling for light wind during the races, so expect some very slow
moving races and extended racing days.
There are 11 different classes of boats competing in the Olympics and the United States has qualified in
all of them. The U.S. team will consist of 18 athletes, 11 men and seven women. Of the 18, four are
Olympic veterans.
In the 49er class, Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast bring veteran leadership to the U.S. class. Wadlow is the
skipper and will make his second Olympic appearance, while Rast makes his fourth, including a
coaching stint at the 2000 games in Australia. The two competed against each other in the 2004 games,
but combined forces this year and were almost unbeatable in the Olympic Trials in San Diego.
Andrew Campbell is the skipper in the Laser division. Campbell, who recently graduated from
Georgetown University (2006), comes with solid credentials and good DNA in the Summer Games. His
father, Bill Campbell, was a three-time All- American and a member of a winning America's Cup team.
Campbell needed a strong finish to beat Brad Funk at the Olympic Trials to earn the place on the team.
Ben Barger and Nancy Rios will make up the RS:X (Windsurfing) Team. Barger needed four straight
wins in the Trials to upset former medalist Michael Gebhardt and gain the Olympic berth. As for Rios,
this will be her first Olympics and at age 20, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of such international
stars as Barbara Kendall of New Zealand and current world champion Alessandra Sensini of Italy.
Zach Railey is the skipper in the Finn class. The multi-talented Railey was nationally ranked in two
different classes: Laser (2001-2004) and Finn (2005-2008). However, Railey makes his Olympic debut
in 2008 fresh off winning the Team Trials in California. In 2007, Railey was the No.1-ranked U.S. Finn
sailor, according to the ISAF World Rankings.
The last two years have been a wild ride for Laser Radial sailor Anna Tunnicliffe. Since graduating from
Old Dominion in 2005, the English-born Tunnicliffe has vaulted her way to No.1 ranking in the world in
her class. She was named the United States Olympic Committee's SportsWoman of the Year, finished
first at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands earlier this year, and posted three wins in 2007,
including the Olympic Team Trials in Rhode Island.
It's all about family in the Star class, as John Dane III and his son-in-law, Austin Sperry make up a strong
U.S. team that is ranked No.1. Dane finally gets his shot at the Olympics after missing out twice before.
The 58-year-old Dane knows this might be his last shot at Olympic gold. "Winning the Star Trials and
beating a multiple medalist like Mark Reynolds and competitors like Mark Mendelblatt, George Szabo
and Andy Horton at the young age of 57 (2007), is by far my most significant sailing achievement."
The 470 Men's Class will be represented by Stu McNay (skipper) and Graham Biehl (crew). Both sailors
tried out for past Olympic games, but were denied. They teamed up and formed one of top-ranked 470
class teams in the country. They have big shoes to fill, as in the 2004 games in Athens, Americans
Kevin Burnham and Paul Foerster took home the gold medal.
Amanda Clark and Sarah Mergenthaler make up the top-ranked U.S. Women's 470 team. After missing
out on the 2004 games, they trained hard overseas and came into the Trials more determined than
ever. For Mergenthaler, she is a well decorated athlete outside of sailing. She was the first high school
athlete in her district to earn varsity letters in five different sports, the first high school female in New
Jersey to convert a field goal in a varsity football game as a place-kicker, a record-breaker in the javelin
throw in college, a varsity soccer player all four years of college who also played semi-pro, and recipient
of numerous athlete-of-the-year awards.
Skipper Sally Barkow and crew members Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi make up the Yngling class for
Team USA. They have been ranked No.1 in the Yngling class since 2005. Barkow's credentials include
being a two-time U.S. Sailing Yachtswoman of the Year (2005, 2007) and a three-time winning skipper at
the U.S. Sailing Women's Keelboat Championships.
The Tornado class features Skipper John Lovell and his crew member Charlie Ogletree. To make the
Olympic team, the duo had to win the final four races at the trials - earning their fourth Olympic
appearance. They were eighth in 1996, seventh in 2000 and four years ago, walked away with a silver
medal. Born on the same day and only an hour apart, Lovell and Ogletree bring solid leadership to
Team USA and good chance at another medal.
Since Sailing was introduced in the Olympics in 1896, the United States sits atop the medal standings
with 18 gold, 22 silver and 17 bronze (57 total). Great Britain is second with 45 medals, followed by
Sweden and Norway. China, the host city of the Summer Olympics, has won just two medals overall.
The top competitors outside of the United States include Brazilian Robert Scheidt (Star Class). Along
with teammate Bruno Prada, they teamed to win back-to-back golds at the World Championships and
won the Olympic Test event last year. Scheidt has won two gold medals (1996, 2004) and a silver in
2000.
England's Ben Ainslie will compete in his fourth straight Olympics and seeks his third gold medal. Ainslie
is a two-time World Sailor of the Year and switched to the Finn class in 2002, where he won the gold
medal in Athens.
Sailing begins competition on Saturday, August 9th and runs through the 21st.
(Sports Network)
July 25, 2008
The United States Olympic Sailing Program is in the midst of an exciting resurgence, fueled by
unprecedented talent and a strong spirit. Under the new leadership of Olympic Sailing Committee
Chairman Dean Brenner, Olympic Director Katie Kelly and High Performance Director Gary Bodie and a
new generation of sailing talent, the sport is building a new program of strength on and off the water.
The U.S. sailing team is highly competitive with the best in the world in many Olympic Classes. The team
has had an unprecedented number of athletes who have produced exceptional results, including podium
finishes at the top-three international regattas: U.S. Sailing's Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta
(OCR) in Miami, FL, Kiel Week in Kiel, Germany and the Holland Regatta.
The sport of sailing makes its 24th appearance in the Summer Olympics and will be held at Qingdao
Olympic Sailing Center. Qingdao is a Chinese coastal city that faces the Yellow Sea to the east and
south. Some weather forecasters are calling for light wind during the races, so expect some very slow
moving races and extended racing days.
There are 11 different classes of boats competing in the Olympics and the United States has qualified in
all of them. The U.S. team will consist of 18 athletes, 11 men and seven women. Of the 18, four are
Olympic veterans.
In the 49er class, Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast bring veteran leadership to the U.S. class. Wadlow is the
skipper and will make his second Olympic appearance, while Rast makes his fourth, including a
coaching stint at the 2000 games in Australia. The two competed against each other in the 2004 games,
but combined forces this year and were almost unbeatable in the Olympic Trials in San Diego.
Andrew Campbell is the skipper in the Laser division. Campbell, who recently graduated from
Georgetown University (2006), comes with solid credentials and good DNA in the Summer Games. His
father, Bill Campbell, was a three-time All- American and a member of a winning America's Cup team.
Campbell needed a strong finish to beat Brad Funk at the Olympic Trials to earn the place on the team.
Ben Barger and Nancy Rios will make up the RS:X (Windsurfing) Team. Barger needed four straight
wins in the Trials to upset former medalist Michael Gebhardt and gain the Olympic berth. As for Rios,
this will be her first Olympics and at age 20, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of such international
stars as Barbara Kendall of New Zealand and current world champion Alessandra Sensini of Italy.
Zach Railey is the skipper in the Finn class. The multi-talented Railey was nationally ranked in two
different classes: Laser (2001-2004) and Finn (2005-2008). However, Railey makes his Olympic debut
in 2008 fresh off winning the Team Trials in California. In 2007, Railey was the No.1-ranked U.S. Finn
sailor, according to the ISAF World Rankings.
The last two years have been a wild ride for Laser Radial sailor Anna Tunnicliffe. Since graduating from
Old Dominion in 2005, the English-born Tunnicliffe has vaulted her way to No.1 ranking in the world in
her class. She was named the United States Olympic Committee's SportsWoman of the Year, finished
first at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands earlier this year, and posted three wins in 2007,
including the Olympic Team Trials in Rhode Island.
It's all about family in the Star class, as John Dane III and his son-in-law, Austin Sperry make up a strong
U.S. team that is ranked No.1. Dane finally gets his shot at the Olympics after missing out twice before.
The 58-year-old Dane knows this might be his last shot at Olympic gold. "Winning the Star Trials and
beating a multiple medalist like Mark Reynolds and competitors like Mark Mendelblatt, George Szabo
and Andy Horton at the young age of 57 (2007), is by far my most significant sailing achievement."
The 470 Men's Class will be represented by Stu McNay (skipper) and Graham Biehl (crew). Both sailors
tried out for past Olympic games, but were denied. They teamed up and formed one of top-ranked 470
class teams in the country. They have big shoes to fill, as in the 2004 games in Athens, Americans
Kevin Burnham and Paul Foerster took home the gold medal.
Amanda Clark and Sarah Mergenthaler make up the top-ranked U.S. Women's 470 team. After missing
out on the 2004 games, they trained hard overseas and came into the Trials more determined than
ever. For Mergenthaler, she is a well decorated athlete outside of sailing. She was the first high school
athlete in her district to earn varsity letters in five different sports, the first high school female in New
Jersey to convert a field goal in a varsity football game as a place-kicker, a record-breaker in the javelin
throw in college, a varsity soccer player all four years of college who also played semi-pro, and recipient
of numerous athlete-of-the-year awards.
Skipper Sally Barkow and crew members Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi make up the Yngling class for
Team USA. They have been ranked No.1 in the Yngling class since 2005. Barkow's credentials include
being a two-time U.S. Sailing Yachtswoman of the Year (2005, 2007) and a three-time winning skipper at
the U.S. Sailing Women's Keelboat Championships.
The Tornado class features Skipper John Lovell and his crew member Charlie Ogletree. To make the
Olympic team, the duo had to win the final four races at the trials - earning their fourth Olympic
appearance. They were eighth in 1996, seventh in 2000 and four years ago, walked away with a silver
medal. Born on the same day and only an hour apart, Lovell and Ogletree bring solid leadership to
Team USA and good chance at another medal.
Since Sailing was introduced in the Olympics in 1896, the United States sits atop the medal standings
with 18 gold, 22 silver and 17 bronze (57 total). Great Britain is second with 45 medals, followed by
Sweden and Norway. China, the host city of the Summer Olympics, has won just two medals overall.
The top competitors outside of the United States include Brazilian Robert Scheidt (Star Class). Along
with teammate Bruno Prada, they teamed to win back-to-back golds at the World Championships and
won the Olympic Test event last year. Scheidt has won two gold medals (1996, 2004) and a silver in
2000.
England's Ben Ainslie will compete in his fourth straight Olympics and seeks his third gold medal. Ainslie
is a two-time World Sailor of the Year and switched to the Finn class in 2002, where he won the gold
medal in Athens.
Sailing begins competition on Saturday, August 9th and runs through the 21st.
(Sports Network)
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