The most important trophy in sailing is at stake in Barcelona. Why it’s not just about a thick wallet, but also about strong legs.
October 19, 2024, 10:02 am
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Scot Harry Leask, a rower and Olympic silver medalist, supports the British team Ineos Britannia in the America’s Cup by generating energy on an ergometer to adjust the sail position. The crew, including former professional cyclists, must work together precisely to keep the ultralight yachts with foils balanced and reach speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour. Despite criticism of the radical changes in sailing, the British are fighting against the defending champions from New Zealand for the prestigious trophy, the America’s Cup.
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© David Ramos/Getty Images
The sweat runs down Harry Leask’s arms, it streams down the wall in small streams, it just drips past the camera mounted in the floor. The Scot repeatedly puts almost 500 watts on the pedals of the ergometer, on which he sits in a small, dark niche in the hull of the bike Britannia pedals, even more in peaks. Enough energy to run a toaster.
It’s possible that Leask sometimes wonders how he got into this. The 29-year-old is actually a rower; in 2020 he won Olympic silver for Great Britain in the double sculls in Tokyo. But now Leask should use the strength of his legs to help him win sailing’s most prestigious trophy.
