Stu McNay is back among sailing’s best.
The world-class sailor from Providence will compete in his fifth Olympic Games this summer, this time in the mixed-470 class alongside Lara Dallman-Weiss. This is the first time the 470 will be a mixed class at the Olympics and McNay attempts to improve on his ninth-place finish at Tokyo in 2020 and fourth-place spot at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The 42-year-old also scored 14th and 13th finishes at London (2012) and Beijing (2008). McNay was a two-time All-American at Yale and is a three-time national champion.
Gary Jobson, longtime NBC broadcaster and America’s Cup veteran, said the McNay-Dallman-Weiss crew will need to rely on experience to land a medal in Paris.
“What went right is they were in sync with each other, and their experience paid off,” Jobson said. “And if they have a bad race, they don’t get flipped out by it, but what’s going to win medals at the Olympics is consistency.”
Jobson will be in Newport this week giving a presentation on America’s prospects in both the Olympics and the America’s Cup this summer. The presentation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Sailing Museum. Tickets are available online at the Sailing Museum.
This year’s Olympic sailing competition will take place in Marseille with the Opening Ceremonies in Paris on July 26. McNay and Dallman-Weiss, who placed 12th in the women’s 470 at the Tokyo Games, begin racing in Marseille on Aug. 2.
“That experience counts,” Jobson said of the duo competing together in a new format.
“Maybe they’re the ones that are going to peak at the right time with their experience. Every other boat is going through the same thing with a mixed crew where they hadn’t done that in the past.”
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The duo is ranked 14th in the world and tops the United States in the event with their best finish being 14th over six different races. McNay and Dallman-Weiss most recently took 17th at the European Championship in May and 26th at World Championships in February.
“Having been around the games a long time, I’m always amazed how athletes rise up to the moment,” Jobson said.
“There’s people that have been hovering, every regatta, they’re always sixth or fourth, and the Games come along and they’re prepared and they’re peaking at the right time.”
Marseille, located on France’s southern coast, should provide good sailing for competitors.
“I prefer sailing in Newport, but it should be pretty good,” Jobson said. “I don’t think we’ll lose days for sailing. It’ll be better than Tokyo, better than Beijing and maybe not as good as Rio.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Gary Jobson on Stu McNay’s chances at the 2024 Summer Olympic in Paris
