Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Team USA sailors clinch gold in Pan Am Games medal haul

by US Sailing Team 10 Aug 2019 11:57 PDT 9-10 August 2019
Pan American Games Lima 2019 Team USA Sailing Medalists (right to left): Charlie Buckingham, Charlotte Rose, Anna Weis, Riley Gibbs, Pedro Pascual © US Sailing

Racing has concluded in six of the seven 2020 Olympic class sailing events at the Pan American Games Lima 2019. Team USA had representatives in all six Medal Races and delivered Medals in four of the five that were sailed.

Riley Gibbs (Long Beach, Calif.) and Anna Weis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) clinched a Gold Medal in the Nacra 17 fleet. Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas) and Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.) earned Silver Medals in the Laser Radial and RS:X fleets, respectively. Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) won the Bronze in the Laser fleet.

After establishing a strong lead earlier this week, Gibbs and Weis focused on keeping their final race, in upwards of 25 knots of wind, low-risk. "We didn't need to win the race to get the Gold, so we wanted to sail a good, low-risk race," said Weis. Their strategy paid off. The pair sailed a clean race in the extreme breeze and finished second in the Medal Race, clinching the Gold Medal and officially earning country qualification for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Gibbs also noted his gratitude for their competitors, this week, "The Brazilians and Argentineans put up such a good fight the whole week. It was even kind of nerve-wracking heading into today, a little bit of a sleepless night. But hats off to them, because they were pushing us the whole time."

Weis expressed that the win is a validation of the hard work she and Gibbs have out in recently, "It's an amazing feeling, to come away with Gold. We've been through a lot as a team—a new team—so it's awesome to see our hard work pay off."

Now that the pair has won Gold, their sights are already turned to their next endeavor. "I thought it was kind of funny. Straight after the medal ceremony, we went back to de-rigging the boat, like nothing really happened," said Gibbs, "It's another stepping stone, we're already looking ahead to trying our best at the Olympic Test Event in Japan and putting it all out there."

Team USA is happy to take home three more medals in addition to Gibbs and Weis' Gold. Pascual secured the Silver for Team USA by finishing fourth in the Medal Race. Rose displayed an excellent demonstration of skill in the Laser Radial Medal Race. In a tight battle for Gold, she narrowly finished just behind the first-place boat representing Canada to win the Silver Medal. Buckingham finished the Laser Medal Race in the Bronze position. This earned him a spot on the podium next to his training partner, Juan Maegli (Guatemala City, GUA) who won the Gold for Guatemala.

In an extremely windy Medal Race, Team USA 49er athletes, Andrew Mollerus (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Ian MacDiarmid (Delray Beach, Fla.) were bested by Canada for the Bronze Medal and North American berth to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Despite the loss, Malcolm Page, US Sailing's Chief of Olympics said, "Although the wind got the better of them today, they were incredible this week with their composure under pressure. I truly believe they were the more skilled team. The sport just didn't go in their favor today."

After the multiple capsizes in the Men's 49er Medal Race, the Women's 49erFX fleet was postponed. Theirs will be the first of today's Medal Races, beginning at 12:30, local time. Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc.) and Maggie Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) will be looking to clinch the Silver Medal for Team USA.

The remaining four Medal Races are also scheduled for today. Conner Blouin (Tampa, Fla.) will start the day in fourth, with a chance at the Bronze. Lightning sailors, Jody Starck (Buffalo, N.Y.), Skip Dieball (Grosse Ile, Mich.), and Ian Jones (Buffalo, N.Y.), are in fourth-place. Will Cyr (Bayview, Mich.) is currently sitting in the Bronze position in the Formula Kite class. Ernesto Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) and Hallie Schiffman (Sarasota, Fla.) will be looking to clinch the Gold Medal.

Related Articles

2023 Reach Youth Engagement Grant Recipients
Sailing centers throughout the country have been awarded grants Sailing centers throughout the country have been awarded grants to grow youth sailing through STEM and environmental education with the US Sailing Reach Initiative. Posted on 26 May
A Silver medal at French Olympic Week 2023
Daniela Moroz brought home a silver medal for the USA after Hyères test From French Mistral winds in the 30s to bobbing around in postponement and everything in between, Hyères tested competitors with a wide range of challenges during the 54th edition of Semaine Olympique Française. Posted on 2 May
Para US Sailing Team set for The Hague
Almost 1,500 sailors are expected at the Allianz World Sailing Championship As part of the Allianz World Sailing Championship (WSC) this August at The Hague, US Sailing has selected a team of American sailors with a disability to represent the United States in all four Para Sailing classes. Posted on 30 Apr
California US Open Sailing Series preview
Registration is open for the summer events Registration is open for the 2023 US Open Sailing Series summer events. The three events span the coast of California and include the Olympic and Youth Worlds classes. Posted on 29 Apr
A quick turnaround for French Olympic Week
US Sailing Team is back on the water for Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères The US Sailing Team is back on the water for Semaine Olympique Française "French Olympic Week" just two weeks after the Trofeo Princesa Sofía in Palma de Mallorca, Spain and only an hour's drive east of the Paris 2024 sailing venue. Posted on 23 Apr
US Sailing announces Search Committee
To find the next leader of the US Olympic Sailing Team US Sailing, the sport's National Governing Body, today announced the creation of a search committee to find the next leader of the US Olympic Sailing Team. Posted on 21 Apr
Solid showing and areas of improvement for USA
50 top-five race finishes at Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca The 52nd edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca is in the books after a week of strong showings by American athletes on the Bay of Palma that also brought to light the areas each fleet plans to focus on for the international season. Posted on 11 Apr
U.S. Junior Women's Championship registration open
Competitors from across the country ages 13-18 years old will compete US Sailing has opened registration for the 2023 U.S. Junior Women's Championship, presented by SouthCoast Wind, July 17-21, 2023, in Bristol, RI. Regular registration closes on May 15 with late registration closing June 15. Posted on 11 Apr
The largest Princess Sofía Regatta in history
Eighteen US Sailing Team athletes are set for the huge European event Almost 1,000 boats and just under 1,300 athletes from 67 countries will take to the water from April 3-8 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for the highest attended Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca Regatta in its 52-year history. Posted on 31 Mar
US Sailing Youth Championship registration open
The pinnacle youth regatta will mark its 50th anniversary in June US Sailing has opened registration for the 2023 Youth Championship presented by SouthCoast Wind, which will take place on the Roger Williams University campus in Bristol, RI. Posted on 15 Mar
Doyle Sails 2020 - Cruising Confidence 728x90 BOTTOMHenri-Lloyd 2022 December - SW FOOTERMarine Resources 2022 Salary Survey FOOTER