Two-Person Keelboat (Star), Men

This event turned out to be a dominating victory for the American boat crewed by Lowell North and Peter Barrett. They had three race wins, one second, and two third places. They could have skipped the seventh race and won the gold medal, but sailed anyway and won the race. North had won a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympics in the Dragon class. He later started North Sails, which became the best known sail manufacturer in the world. Barrett had also medaled at the 1964 Olympics, winning silver in the Finn class.

Dane Paul Elvstrøm had won four gold medals in the one-person dinghy event from 1948-60, but skipped the 1964 Olympics. He competed in this class, trying to win his fifth gold medal, but just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish. Silver medalist Peder Lunde, Jr., from the remarkable Norwegian Lunde sailing family, had won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Flying Dutchman.

Another entrant in this class was Finland’s Peter Tallberg, who raced with his brother Henrik. Peter became an IOC Member in 1976 and was President of the International Yacht Racing Union from 1986-94.