1 Gold, 2 Silver for USA at French Olympic Week 2022
by US Sailing Team 1 May 2022 15:22 NZST
April 25-30, 2022
Daniela Moroz with her gold medal on the Women's Formula Kite podium at French Olympic Week 2022 © Sailing Energy
The medal race and finals series concluded today on Mediterranean waters for the 53rd French Olympic Week and the US Sailing Team is bringing home a gold and two silvers.
Medal Winners:
- GOLD: Daniela Moroz, Women's Formula Kite
- SILVER: Steph Roble / Maggie Shea, 49erFX
- SILVER: Nevin Snow / Mac Agnese, 49er
Other USST Top Finishers at French Olympic Week 2022:
- 9th: Andrew Mollerus / Ian MacDiarmid, 49er
- 11th: Ian Barrows / Hans Henken, 49er
- 14th: Sarah Newberry / David Liebenberg, Nacra 17
- 20th: Markus Edegran, Men's Formula Kite
"Going into the finals today I only needed to win one race to win the event," said Women's Formula Kite athlete Daniela Moroz. "It was super light wind so there was a lot of pumping out of tacks and gybes. It was key to stay in the pressure and get to the right side of the course as quickly as possible and I ended up coming away with the win on that first race of the day and securing the gold."
"It was a really fun week," continued Moroz. "We sailed a wide variety of conditions and rode almost all of the kite sizes in our kit to adapt to the wind and the sea state. It was really tough and I had some very tight battles with Lauriane Nolot [from France] but overall enjoyed a great week in Hyères."
"This week went really well for us," said 49er athlete Nevin Snow. "We learned a lot every day and we managed to stay in the top three all six days of the event, finishing off in second. We're happy with how we delivered on the goals we set out at the beginning of the event and the results that came in the process of executing on those goals."
"The Palma regatta and this regatta in Hyères were our first chance to test the new mast and sails, so it was a great opportunity to gather some data," added Maggie Shea. "We found some good settings and some bad settings, and we're excited to go back to the drawing board this spring and continue progressing before the Europeans and Worlds this summer."
"Hyeres provided great conditions and competition for our athletes to test themselves," said USST Coach Charlie McKee. "Steph and Maggie took some lessons away from Palma, put them to good use here, and sailed really well to earn a well-deserved silver. Daniela came here focused and well-prepared, and delivered an extremely consistent and impressive performance to win the gold. In the 49er fleet Nevin and Mac came back to international competition after a long absence and shocked the fleet with their ability to immediately perform at the highest level. Their teammates (and Palma silver medalists) Ian Barrows and Hans Henken were hugely helpful in getting Nevin and Mac back up to speed, and the cooperative spirit these athletes displayed showed the true power of 'Team' within the resurgent US skiff program."
"The sailors are focused, training hard and collaborating," said Paul Cayard, Executive Director of US Olympic Sailing. "We have great coaches. There is a TEAM behind the athletes and coaches. Thanks to our sponsors and donors, we have more resources to provide more support. The results from the Spring events in Europe are encouraging. However, our destination is far."
Final results available here.