Olympia: First a shock, then a new beginning - DSV head coach moves to US Sailing
This news initially came as a shock, especially for the Olympic bronze medallists Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer, who were individually coached by Marcus Lynch: the head coach and Nacra 17 coach is leaving the German Sailing Team in the Olympic final sprint. The Brit will take up his new job as High Performance Director of US Sailing in the new year.
With his departure, the officially still acting Olympic Performance Manager of the German Sailing Team surprised not only the association, but also the dominant German Nacra 17 team Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer. DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner said in an initial statement: "We enjoyed working with him and did not expect this. Marcus Lynch is now changing his career direction. We will handle this separation professionally."
The team stands together and is very committed" (Nadine Stegenwalner)
According to Nadine Stegenwalner, Marcus Lynch's two previous areas of responsibility should be considered separately. On the one hand, there are the overarching tasks as Olympic Performance Manager for the German Sailing Team. The Sports Director said: "The team stands together and is very committed. We have received messages from many disciplines asking how we can help and support them now. The mood is fundamentally positive. We have taken good steps and will continue to do so."
On the other hand, it is about the individual coaching position in the cooperation with the Olympic experienced medal candidates Paul Kohlhoff on course for his third Games and foresailor Alica Stuhlemmer before her second Olympic appearance. Nadine Stegenwalner commented on the situation of the Nacra 17 duo: "They are a strong team, it's not their first Games. There will be solutions."
The trio of successes is abruptly history
The crew from the Kiel Yacht Club worked closely with Marcus Lynch for seven years. Together they celebrated their Olympic bronze medal success in the Nacra 17 in Enoshima in 2021. Together, they wanted to compete for another Olympic medal next year in a familiar team. That will now come to nothing. "The news about Marcus came as a shock to us on 30 November: we had an almost familial relationship. This separation was unthinkable for us," said Paul Kohlhoff, describing the initial reaction of his crew.
The coach's departure comes at an inopportune time for Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer, but also for the entire German team: just over six months before the next Olympic starting signal. In the press release from the evening of 4 December, in which US Sailing introduces Marcus Lynch in detail as the new Director of Competitive Sports, the Brit even refers to the timing of the change, which is unfortunate from a German perspective, saying: "I am thrilled to be joining US Sailing in this important role and at this critical time."
Top German athletes look for new coach
With the German Sailing Team, Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer are now looking for a new coach seven months before the Olympic starting signal and are fully focussed on the Games. Paul Kohlhoff now says: "Alica and I have grown closer than ever as a crew as a result of this situation. We have good options in the pipeline, which we now want to examine in peace."
In the American press release, Marcus Lynch continues: "The US Sailing Team has a solid foundation with great passion and drive. I look forward to bringing my two decades of experience to other successful programmes to help US Sailing Team reach its full potential as a world-class sailing team on the Olympic stage in Paris 2024, at the Home Games in Los Angeles 2028 and beyond."
American Nacra 17 team on course for the Olympics
The statement signals a long-term contract commitment of the Briton to US Olympic sailing. In American competitive sailing, there is a Nacra 17 duo in Sarah Newberry Moore and David Liebenberg who are nibbling at the top ten in the world rankings. However, at the World Championships in The Hague, where Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer finished seventh and secured Germany's place in the Olympic Games in their discipline at an early stage, the Americans did not make it past 18th place.
However, they were still able to secure an Olympic spot for their home country: As runners-up at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023, Sarah Newberry Moore and David Liebenberg qualified their home country in mid-November to take part in the Olympic Nacra 17 regatta with just 18 foiling catamarans from just as many countries. The winners of the Pan American Games, Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Basco, had already earned Argentina's place at the World Championships in The Hague.
In the Olympic showdown against the former coach?
Against this backdrop, Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer and Newberry Moore/Liebenberg will in all likelihood at least meet up with their new head coach Marcus Lynch in the battle for the Nacra 17 medals in the Bay of Marseille in the summer of 2024.
That tends to increase our motivation even more" (Paul Kohlhoff)
Marcus Lynch did not initially respond to a request for an interview about his move. Kohlhoff and Stuhlemmer have since come to terms with their initial shock at the unexpected departure of their coach. Paul Kohlhoff told YACHT online: "This will not stop us in our perseverance and our work. If anything, it will increase our motivation."
