End of an era in Mixed Multihull event

The Olympic mulithull sailors can breathe a sigh of relief as the dominant duo in the Nacra 17 Class has come to an end. Caterina Banti – 37-year-old Italian sailor, two-time Olympic gold medalist with Ruggero Tita – has called it quits.

“The gold I won at the last Olympics paired with Ruggero Tita was the best possible way to end my career as an athlete,” she said while speaking to Radio Sportiva. “I had decided a few months ago, and I have no regrets, now I have to think about what I will do in life. Yes, Ruggero already knew.”

There first gold was at Tokyo 2020, and were dominant again at Paris 2024. “In Marseille there was a lot of pressure on us because everyone said ‘Tita and Banti will win gold again’. However, nothing is a given. But we were good. I knew it would be my last performance and it had to be the best possible. And so it was, and I brought home the gold medal.”

Tita and Banti have been at the top of the class since the moment they teamed up together in 2017, which coincided with the period the class evolved to full foiling. They won six World Championships in eight years as a partnership, missing the 2021 Worlds in a post-Olympic break, and finishing 7th in 2019. They pioneered the dynamic movements required for downwind foiling and retired as the clear leaders of the fleet.

At times, they faced as much internal competition from other Italian teams as they did from the rest of the World. In 2019, Vittorio Bissaro with Maelle Frascari (ITA) won the Nacra 17 World Championship. Even after Tita and Banti won the 2020 Worlds, there was still internal discussion about which World Championship crew would be nominated by Italy for the Tokyo Games.

Then in 2023, Ginaluigi Ugolini with Maria Giubilei (ITA) were nominated for the 2023 Test Event in Marseilles and won that regatta, again putting Tita and Banti under pressure. But they won the 2023 and 2024 Worlds to put their nomination for Paris out of question. Their victories were driven by a dominant Italian squad.

Banti has a bachelor’s degree from Sapienza University and a master’s degree from Orientale University in Naples in Oriental Languages and Civilization. What will she do now? “I have a series of ideas and projects in my head, but they are still in progress, and it’s premature to talk about them. However, I would like to stay in the world of sport and pass on what I have learned in all these years.”

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

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

Details: https://paris2024.sailing.org/

Source: Nacra 17 Class, Vela