What is a 49er in Olympic sailing?

The iconic 49er brings fast and furious racing to the Olympic Games for the men’s skiff event.

You won’t be able to miss the skiffs, emblazoned with each country’s flag, as they roar around Marseille Marina with drama and unpredictability inevitably in their wake.

Here’s your whistlestop guide to the 49er class.

What is a 49er?

The 49er is a skiff. Skiffs are the high-performance end of sailing – fast, light and tough.

It is called a 49er because the hull of the boat measures 4.99 metres.

At Paris 2024, the 49er will be raced by two men and was introduced to the Olympic programme for Sydney 2000.

Its sister design, the 49erFX, will be raced by two women and was brought in at Rio 2016.

How does a 49er work?

In a 49er crew, one sailor plays the role of helm and the other plays the role of crew.

The helm makes tactical decisions and steers the boat, while the crew undertakes more of the physical work and controls the sails.

There are three sails on a 49er – the mainsail, the jib and the spinnaker – with each 49er’s spinnaker displaying the relevant country’s flag.

Who are the previous Olympic medallists?

Tokyo 2020: Gold – Dylan Fletcher, Stuart Bithell (Great Britain), Silver – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (New Zealand), Bronze – Erik Heil, Thomas Plößel (Germany)

Rio 2016: Gold – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (New Zealand), Silver – Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen (Australia), Bronze – Erik Heil, Thomas Plößel (Germany)

London 2012: Gold – Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen (Australia), Silver – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (New Zealand), Bronze – Allan Nørregaard, Peter Lang (Denmark)

 

Who are the top athletes in 49er?

Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken have emerged as the outstanding crew in the class. They enjoyed a superb 2023, winning the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille and the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships, their third successive world title.

But they have not had it all their own way in an unpredictable run-up to the Games.

At the World Championships in March, Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin won France’s first ever global title in the class. May’s European Championships saw Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz of Uruguay finish first and GB’s James Peters and Fynn Sterritt claim the title of top European nation.

When is the 49er event at Paris 2024?

49er racing begins on Sunday 28 August and ends on Thursday 1 August.