CLEARWATER, Fla. – Former Stanford sailor Helena Scutt `14 won the U.S. Olympic Team Athlete Selection Series in the 49erFX division this past weekend, earning a spot on the 2016 Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro.
“It doesn’t feel real right now,” said Scutt, a former team captain at Stanford. “It’s going to take a while to sink in; eight years ago I was learning how to sail.”
Scutt and her partner, Paris Henken, had already secured qualification for the United States team, but their individual spots were still in question going into this event.
After placing 17th at the Sailing World Cup event in Miami Jan. 25-30, Scutt placed 13th at the 49er World Championship in Clearwater, securing her trip to Rio.
.@USSailingTeam's Paris Henken & Helena Scutt QUALIFIED for #Rio2016! ✅
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) February 12, 2016
⛵️ https://t.co/QoMYTB51nD pic.twitter.com/GOgH4aJkBy
A native of Seattle, Washington, Scutt graduated from Stanford in 2014 with a degree in engineering. Since then, she has been a full-time member of U.S. Sailing Team Sperry.
