Nacra 17David Liebenberg

David Liebenberg is a Paris 2024 Olympian and current US Sailing Team athlete. Soon after outgrowing prams, David took his first ride on the 29er skiff and was immediately hooked, with this affinity for speed shaping the rest of his sailing career. Four years after that first ride, David had collected a top-ten finish at the World Championships, three National Championship titles, and three North American Championship titles.  

While in college at Tufts University, Liebenberg practiced his starting skills and short course tactics as a member of the Tufts Sailing Team. He was a team captain during his senior year and led the team to their first Collegiate Match Racing National Championship in 2012. In the summer of 2013, he was the tactician for the American Youth Sailing Force, which was selected to represent San Francisco in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup – excellent preparation for an Olympic campaign! The emphasis on short course racing at extremely high speeds allowed him to hone his boat handling and tactical decision-making skills.  

During the 2016 quadrennium, Liebenberg performed impressively in the Men’s 49er class, though unfortunately did not qualify for the Rio Games. David shifted his focus to the Nacra 17 and the 2020 quad.  

Sarah and David joined forces in the Nacra 17 to campaign for the Tokyo Olympics and finished as the top American Nacra 17 team at the 2020 World Championships, ultimately placing second in the trials. Since then the two have grown together as a team, learning to lean on each other and find strengths in one another that have made them stronger. They have shown their ability to make it to the top of the fleet and are building on their solid foundation from their first campaign in pursuit of Paris 2024. The pair went on to win selection for Team USA and finished 16th at the Paris Olympics, their debut Games appearance.