Támara Echegoyen is the last pillar in the crew of the Franco-German flag team GUYOT environment-Team Europe. The London 2012 Olympic champion and sailor of The Ocean Race 2017-18 edition, she fits perfectly into the team structure thanks to her experience in Olympic and ocean sailing.
The co-skippers of GUYOT environment-Team Europe Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek see in the Galician the perfect signing to complete their IMOCA class team made up of sailors from France (Benjamin Dutreux, Sébastien Simon), Germany (Robert Stanjek, Phillip Kasüske ) and UK (Annie Lush). All of them will meet in Alicante, before participating in the first coastal regatta (in-port) on January 8 and the start of the first stage of The Ocean Race on January 15.
“Preparation time runs very fast. Therefore, we need someone who can join immediately. With her experience in different boats, Támara will be able to adapt directly to IMOCA with foils. She knows the Atlantic and the South Ocean: an incredible advantage when we have to navigate the long legs, either on board or providing support from land ” says Benjamin Dutreux, who has just successfully completed the Route du Rhum.
Robert Stanjek adds: “Támara further reinforces our philosophy of building a team with extensive sailing experience. Furthermore, the human structure in a crew is extremely important. Annie Lush and Támara are well known from their experience as rivals in both the Olympics and The Ocean Race, in which both connected.
The Orensa sailor is excited to participate again in The Ocean Race and be part of this young team: “I am very grateful to the team for this opportunity. It is a pleasure to work and sail with them. I really like their open mindedness to learn from each other as a team. It is one of his strengths. I look forward to sailing together in the next The Ocean Race”.
The nautical life of 38-year-old Támara Echegoyen is full of successes including Olympic gold, several world championship titles in various classes and experience in ocean regattas. It was at the 2012 London Olympics when Echegoyen won the gold medal in the Elliot 6m class and among her rivals was her current teammate Annie Lush. In the 2017-18 edition, she was part of the Spanish Mapfre team. In 2016 and 2020 she was proclaimed 49erFX world champion, and at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games she came close to the podium with a fourth place in the 49er FX class.
Támara has also received the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit (2013) and was the national sports award in 2012 as revelation athlete of the year.
The crew of GUYOT environnement-Team Europe will meet again in Barcelona where the IMOCA has been located since its recent arrival from the Caribbean after skipper Benjamin Dutreux’s solo participation in the Route du Rhum and before transferring the old Hugo Boss 6 to Alicante before on January 2, the deadline for arrival in the city for the boats participating in the next edition of The Ocean Race.
