Hans Henken: Third time is a charm

Ian Barrows and Hans Henken will represent the USA in the Men’s Skiff (49er) event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, a goal for Henken that required three quads to achieve. Here’s an excerpt from a local newspaper where he grew up:

“For a long time, I had grappled with this idea of what it means to be an athlete,” said Henken. “What it means to be an Olympic athlete, but not necessarily going to the Olympics. For a while, that was something that was hard for me to reconcile with. Campaigning and having success without actually having the results of actually going to the Olympic Games.

“But when we pulled it off at trials, and I was thinking back to all those moments, all I could think was that all the hard work had totally paid off. It was just an incredible feeling. It felt like satisfaction. It felt like redemption. It felt like everything had finally aligned like I knew it could have earlier. It’s a feeling I won’t ever forget.”

Henken’s journey has been one of perseverance, dedication, and effort. And it’s a story that he hopes to finish with a medal this summer in Paris.

“I want to go out there and leave it all out on the water and compete at my highest ability; we know we have what it takes, and we’re trying to set some really good parameters and plans to be able to achieve that at the games,” said Henken. “I want to give everything I have and be incredibly satisfied with no regrets; that’s my mindset going into these games.”

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 (41)
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 (41)
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 (19)
Men’s Skiff – 49er (20)
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX (20)
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class (20)
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class (20)
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL (24)
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL (24)
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 (19)
* Quota per event in parenthesis but does not include Universality Places (2 men, 2 women)

Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9

Details:
• Paris website: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/
• World Sailing microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/