Heading for Los Angeles

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Clara Stamminger with Lukas Haberl.

(Bild: OeSV/Dominik Matesa)

Sailor Lukas Haberl has a new partner: the 25-year-old wants to win his ticket to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles with Clara Stamminger. But that's not all: the two have big goals in mind.

A few weeks ago, sailors Lukas Haberl and Tanja Frank split up. The Nacra 17 duo came 15th at the 2024 Olympic Games and are now going their separate ways. Haberl, who hails from Salzburg, has now decided on a new partner with whom he wants to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles: Clara Stamminger. The two have already been training together for two months and get on brilliantly: "I now have a lot of experience on the Nacra 17, I'm not starting from scratch and I'm convinced that this can quickly develop into a successful project. But I also know that it's going to be a tough battle - in all directions," says the Salzburger-by-choice, who competes for the UYC Mondsee.

His new partner is a 22-year-old Austro-French woman who grew up in Portugal. She is switching from the 49erFX to the Nacra 17. There was an immediate spark with her new colleague Haberl: "I got on this boat with Lukas for the first time - and enjoyed it straight away. Then we had our first training camp in Monfalcone and everything felt really good."

In any case, the pair have set their sights very high: both are firmly convinced that they will win a medal in Los Angeles. "I know that sounds scary, but I need to aim high in order to be able to deliver my best performance," emphasizes helmsman Haberl. Since the beginning of this week, the duo has been completing a two-week training block in Palermo, where they hope to lay the foundations for their first joint regatta start at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia off Palma de Mallorca at the beginning of April.