Ian Barrows / Hans Henken

Ian Barrows was born January 14, 1995, in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, sailing out of St. Thomas Yacht Club from about age five. He won Byte-class gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, following older brother Thomas Barrows (a two-time Olympic sailor) into the sport. At Yale he was a four-time collegiate All-American and 2017 College Sailor of the Year. His 49er campaign began with a different partner before narrowly missing Tokyo 2020 qualification; he teamed with Hans Henken around 2020-2021. The partnership won 2023 Pan American Games gold in Santiago, then the 2024 US Olympic Trials, before Paris 2024 bronze — the first US sailing medal since Rio 2016 and first American 49er medal since Sydney 2000. Barrows joined the College of Charleston sailing program as an assistant coach in 2024.

Hans Henken grew up in Coronado, California, and began sailing at six in the Naples Sabot class; he now bases out of San Francisco. His junior career included a bronze at the 2008 ISAF Youth Worlds and the U23 Moth World Championship (2009). He sailed for Stanford (2011-2018, BS/MS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering), captaining the team and named Stanford's Male Athlete of the Year in 2015. Partnered with Ian Barrows from around 2020-2021, the pair won 2023 Pan Am gold and the 2024 US Trials before Paris 2024 bronze, earning Henken the 2024 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award. In September 2023 he suffered a serious SailGP crash injury (broken sternum, broken ribs, concussion) but recovered to compete at reduced capacity through the Pan Am Games and Trials. He now serves as flight controller for the US SailGP Team. He married sailor Helena Scutt (his Stanford teammate) in September 2023; Scutt was Rio 2016 Olympic 49erFX crew alongside Henken's sister, Paris Henken.