Bart Lambriex / Floris van de Werken

Born in Haarlem on 3 October 1998, Bart Lambriex seemed almost destined for Olympic sailing: his father, Huub Lambriex, raced the Tornado catamaran at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Bart made his own Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, qualifying the Dutch boat with then-partner Pim van Vugt by finishing eighth at the 2019 Worlds in Auckland.

Teaming with Floris van de Werken, he went on a historic run, winning the 49er World Championship three years in a row (2021, 2022 and 2023) and adding World silver in 2024. The partnership was twice nominated for the Rolex World Sailor of the Year award.

One of the most consistent skippers in the fleet, Lambriex finished third at the 2026 Worlds in Quiberon as the Dutch eye another Olympic campaign.

Raised in the small rural village of Warder in North Holland, Floris van de Werken (born 2 April 1995) took an unusual route to the top. The first in his family to make a mark in sailing, he came to the sport from a farming background rather than a yachting dynasty.

Crewing for Bart Lambriex, he became a triple World Champion (2021 to 2023) and an Olympian, helping make the Dutch boat the benchmark of the 49er fleet for half a decade, with World silver in 2024 and two Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominations to show for it.

Powerful and unflappable on the wire, he and Lambriex remain genuine contenders, taking bronze at the 2026 World Championship in Quiberon.