Lead-up to LA28 officially begins with the Princesa Sofía Regatta in Mallorca

by US Sailing Team 31 Mar 18:45 UTC 31 March - 5 April 2025

Lead-up to LA28 officially begins with the Princesa Sofía Regatta in Mallorca © US Sailing Team

29 athletes representing the US across eight Olympic classes will spar with over 50 other countries at the 54th edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca, considered to be the European season opener.

Racing runs March 31-April 5 in the Bay of Palma and is the largest annual Olympic class regatta with nearly 800 boats and boards competing.

New this year, the Princesa Sofía is the first of two opportunities in 2025 for athletes to qualify for the US Sailing Team. Previously, athletes were only able to qualify for the USST through their class's annual World Championship. The addition of the Princesa Sofía to the athlete selection procedures presents another vital opportunity for athletes to qualify and receive funding and resources on their journey to the Olympics.

"The Princesa Sofía Trophy is internationally recognized as the first real opportunity to benchmark performances on the global stage for the new Olympic Quad," said US Sailing's High Performance Director, Marcus Lynch. "It draws a clear line in the sand from which to build out further programming that supports continued athlete progression."

"Not all of the most experienced campaigners have returned to competition yet, as many are still reflecting on their Paris 2024 campaigns," he continued. "For them, this regatta often plays a vital role in understanding how the fleets have evolved since Paris. Yet on the other hand, many athletes are hitting the ground running, having put in countless hours on the water over the winter. Their early-season form could offer an exciting preview of what's to come. It's great to be back in Palma and to watch how things unfold in the week ahead."

This year's Princesa Sofía boasts one of the largest turnouts of athletes from the US Olympic Development Program (ODP) this early in a fresh Olympic cycle. After five winter training camps in Miami, an impressive number of athletes are ready to put their domestic effort to the test and check in with international fleets as a valuable progress assessment.

In addition to ODP and USST athletes riding the winter momentum, the Bay of Palma will welcome some very seasoned veterans, including Rio 2016 49erFX Olympic pair Paris Henken and Helena Scutt with coaching by Paris 2024 49er Bronze Medalist Hans Henken. USA's Noah Lyons and Dominique Stater are back in the ring from the Paris Olympics on the men's and women's iQFOiL, and standout runner up names from US Olympic Trials have returned, some with new partners and new equipment.

On the water for the USA:

49er