Feature

Eight Bells: Eric Mergenthaler

Published on April 16th, 2020

Eric Mergenthaler

Three-time Olympian in the Finn and 1992 Finn Gold Cup winner Eric Mergenthaler has died following a bicycle accident in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. He was 56, born on September 2, 1963.

Eric represented Mexico in the Olympic Games, placing 18th in Los Angeles 1984, 13th in Seoul 1988, and 19th in Barcelona 1992, where he was the World Champion after winning the Finn Gold Cup earlier that year in Cadiz, Spain.

A legend of the Finn class, he trained with many of the top sailors of the day and became one of the most popular Finn sailors in the 1980s and early 1990s. He supported himself through his sailing career, with no professional equipment and ended up being a world champion.

He also won the silver medal at the 1989 Finn Gold Cup, the bronze medal at the 1990 Finn Gold Cup, and the silver at the 1988 European Championship.

After the Barcelona Olympics, he focused on family and business and became a very successful businessman in Mexico, although he never stopped practicing sports.

The accident on April 11 left him with serious injuries and he was operated on before being moved to an intensive care unit. His family, including his four daughters, were able to see him before he passed away on April 15, following complications.