49er

The 49er, named after its hull length of 4.99 metres, is a two-handed high-performance skiff. It is a one design class where athletes compete with identical equipment built by a limited number of manufacturers.

Designed by Julian Bethwaite (AUS) in 1994, the 49er is an evolution of the International 14 and Aussie 18ft skiff.

In 1996, it was selected as the new twin-trapeze skiff for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, following a trial event at Lake Garda, Italy, involving a variety of classes and top-level sailors.

The two sailors onboard take different roles; the helm generally makes the tactical decisions and steers the boat, while the crew undertakes more of the physical work and controls the sails.

Both of the crew are equipped with their own trapeze, and sail while cantilevered over the water to the fullest extent, to balance against the sails. The mast can support a combined crew weight of up to 165kg from its dual trapeze.

The spinnaker, one of three sails along with the mainsail and jib, is decorated in each country’s flag at the Olympic Games, making this class one of the most visually appealing to watch.

Interestingly, there are three leading 49er crews in the history of the Games who have won one gold and one silver medal each.

The first crew to achieve this were Iker Martínez and Xabier Fernández of Spain, who won gold at Athens 2004 and silver at Beijing 2008.

And a rivalry at the last two Games between Australia and New Zealand produced the other two best-performing Olympic 49er crews.

Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) took top spot on the podium at London 2012, beating Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (NZL) to gold. But it was the Kiwi duo who triumphed at Rio 2016, with the Australians settling for silver.

And as the other double 49er Olympic medallists are no longer competing in the class, Burling & Tuke will become the most successful 49er team in Olympic history if they medal at Tokyo 2020.