Richard Schultheis / Fabian Rieger

A 20-year-old helmsman born in Berlin and raised in Malta, Richard Schultheis chose to campaign under the German flag after a standout youth career; he was 49er Junior World Champion in 2024 and is a strong international Moth sailor.

He teamed up with the vastly more experienced Fabian Rieger in 2025, and the new partnership made an immediate splash on the Sailing Grand Slam circuit, winning gold at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Mallorca and adding silver in Hyeres.

Schultheis is among the most exciting young skippers of the new Olympic cycle.

Fabian Rieger brings a wealth of experience to the front of the boat, having won World Championship bronze in 2018 and European gold in 2020 earlier in his career.

Joining forces with rising helm Richard Schultheis in 2025 for a new Olympic cycle, Rieger helped the German pair hit the ground running with a Grand Slam gold at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia and silver at the Hyeres regatta.

The pairing of youth and experience marks them out as a crew to watch toward Los Angeles 2028.