Riley Gibbs & Louisa Nordstrom Join A1R’s Project Podium in the Nacra 17

America One Racing (A1R) is proud to welcome Riley Gibbs and Louisa Nordstrom to Project Podium as they launch their Nacra 17 campaign with their sights set firmly on a medal at the 2028 Olympic Games in home waters.

"Riley and Louisa represent the standard we’re building at A1R. Talent matters; but ownership, accountability and daily commitment matter more. Riley has competed at the highest levels of our sport and Louisa has consistently risen to every challenge in front of her. They seek feedback, they take responsibility and they push each other to improve.” notes Leandro Spina, A1R Executive Director. “Project Podium is built on teamwork and high performance. This new team fits our culture. They’re not here to participate; they’re here to contend, and they’re prepared to earn it."

Gibbs returns to the Nacra 17 with deep experience across Olympic-class and high-performance foiling platforms. A youth standout in the 29er and Youth Worlds medalist, he went on to compete at the highest levels of international foiling, posting top results at the Formula Kite and Moth World Championships, including a 6th-place finish and top American at the Moth Worlds.

He transitioned into the Olympic pathway in the Nacra 17, winning gold at the 2019 Pan American Games before winning the US Olympic Trials and competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Following that campaign Gibbs transitioned to professional sailing including Maxi programs, Grand Prix circuits, and SailGP.  He then joined American Magic for the last America’s Cup, and that experience sharpened his approach within a fully professional, high-performance team environment. Now, he returns to the Nacra 17 with a singular focus: pursuing an Olympic medal on home waters.

Nordstrom’s pathway has been equally distinguished yet distinctly different. A top youth sailor in both the ILCA 6 (Leiter Cup winner) and 29er, she finished top three at High School Nationals, won the 2017 College Women’s National Championship, and earned four Women’s College All-American skipper honors. Internationally, she campaigned the mixed 470 as helm, finishing 5th at the Junior 470 Worlds and Runner-Up at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Her move into the Nacra 17 marks a significant transition. After years as a 470 skipper, Nordstrom is now crewing, trapezing for the first time, and trimming entirely manually - a major shift from the button-controlled systems she worked with during the Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona with American Magic, where she raced as starboard trimmer. She also gained early multihull experience aboard the U.S. SailGP Team’s F50, developing an understanding of high-speed foiling systems that now translate directly to the Nacra platform.

The pair has just completed a two-month training block in Miami, marking Nordstrom’s first sustained time in the boat. “The learning curve has been very steep, especially for me as it’s my first time sailing on this platform. Riley’s been a great guide, and we’ve made significant progress in a very short amount of time.”

The Nacra 17 is notoriously technical and physically demanding; and deeply rewarding when everything clicks.

“It’s very difficult to sail well, which makes it especially satisfying when everything comes together,” Gibbs shared. “We’re happy with the progress we’ve made thus far, but aren’t settling. We’re focused on incremental improvements across the board and it’s exciting to see our campaign take shape.” 

With Miami complete, Gibbs and Nordstrom now turn their focus to Europe, where they will line up against the international fleet together for the first time.  “There’s nothing like racing. We’re incredibly grateful for the level of support we’ve received and are making leaps and bounds because of it. We’re stoked to get back to it.”

Two distinct pathways of Olympic-class development and professional foiling experience on one side - championship helm leadership and rapidly accelerating high-performance crewing on the other - now converge in the Nacra 17 under A1R’s Project Podium.