After five grueling days of racing on the world’s most prestigious stage, Team USA’s dynamic duo, Ian Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) and Hans Henken (San Francisco, CA), have sailed their way to a bronze medal in the Men’s Skiff (49er) event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This marks the first Olympic medal for the US Sailing Team since Rio 2016 and a stunning debut for both Barrows and Henken.
“I’m speechless, I still can’t believe it,” Barrows exclaimed. “I’m really happy, especially for Hans as he’s been doing this for a really long time. Our team is amazing and we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of them.”
Henken echoed his teammate’s sentiments, “We put in so much hard work to get here and to have it all come together in this last race is just amazing. Ian and I had the goal of having a chance in the medal race – we knew that’s a level that we had. Just to be there felt like an achievement in its own right, and to finish with this bronze medal is really the cherry on top.”
The final race of the Paris 2024 Olympics saw Barrows and Henken starting towards the pin end of the line, opting for the left side on the first upwind leg. Their close rivals, Dickson and Waddilove of Ireland, were over the starting line early and had to return, giving Barrows and Henken an opening to edge closer to the bronze. Staying at the front of the fleet, the Americans rounded the first upwind mark in 6th place. They pushed hard on the downwind leg, picking up two positions and closing in on the Swiss. On the second upwind, they kept pace with the Swiss, overtaking them at a close mark rounding and soaring into fourth for the last race, securing their spot on the podium.
“It’s great to see years of hard work, dedication and commitment come to fruition with the team securing a bronze medal at the Olympics,” said Marcus Lynch, US Sailing Team High Performance Director. “Our recent medal victory, the first since Rio, is a testament to the incredible team atmosphere we’ve cultivated. The cohesion and dedication of the athletes, coaches, and staff were crucial to our success. We’ve focused on creating a professional, productive, and constructive culture for our athletes, putting the right people in place and creating an environment where every athlete can thrive. The USOPC recognized our potential and generously provided significant additional funding to support our athletes on the ground in Marseille. This support, combined with our strong team dynamics, has truly set us apart. Our success is a collective effort, and we are grateful for the unwavering support from the USOPC and the entire US Sailing community.”
Barrows and Henken’s bronze marks the first American sailing medal since Caleb Paine’s bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Ian Barrows’ journey began in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he started sailing Optis before transitioning to larger dinghies like 420s, Lasers, and Bytes. Competing nationally in high school and internationally on the youth sailing stage, Barrows went on to graduate from Yale in 2017 with a degree in Economics. At Yale, he led the team to eight National Championship titles, was a four-time collegiate All-American, and was named College Sailor of the Year in 2017. Inspired by his brother, Thomas, who competed in two Olympic Games and coached the Men’s 470 team at Tokyo 2020, Ian set his sights on an Olympic campaign.
Hans Henken, a California native, started sailing at six years old in the Naples Sabot. Competing at the highest levels since junior sailing, Henken raced 29ers, 49ers, the International Moth, and most recently, the hydrofoiling F50 on the global SailGP circuit. He was a key member and captain of the Stanford University Sailing Team, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Named Stanford Conference Male Athlete of the Year in his senior year, Henken’s engineering background has been an invaluable asset to his sailing career.
Barrows and Henken teamed up in 2021, setting their sights on Paris 2024. They secured their ticket to Marseille by winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Miami in January 2024. Now, with a bronze medal around their necks, they have etched their names in the annals of US sailing history.
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