LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Britain's SailGP team have signed Stuart Bithell as wing trimmer for their 2026 campaign, reuniting him with helm Dylan Fletcher, his Olympic gold-winning partner in the 49er at the Tokyo Games.
Bithell, a veteran of four SailGP seasons, is joining from the German team and replaces Iain 'Goobs' Jensen, who will move to Australia's Flying Roos, Emirates GBR said in a statement.
"I'm replacing a great sailor in Goobs, and I know I've got big shoes to fill after the team won the (SailGP) Championship last season. But I live for the pressure, and I can't wait to take on the challenge," Bithell said.
"It will be special to sail with Dylan and (strategist) Hannah (Mills) again, having raced with and alongside them as teammates in the Olympics."
The British won their first SailGP grand final last month, beating Australia and New Zealand in a thrilling race in Abu Dhabi to claim the $2-million prize.
"We want to wish Iain Jensen all the best for his move back home to represent Australia. Wanting to represent his country again is something we all understand and fully support," Emirates GBR CEO and co-owner Ben Ainslie said on Tuesday.
"Iain has been an incredible member of our team for many years, but we have secured a ready-made replacement in Stuart Bithell, especially as he knows Dylan so well from their years of competing and racing together," Ainslie added.
Fletcher and Bithell beat New Zealand's Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who represent the Black Foils in SailGP, to take gold in the 2020 Olympics.
Jensen, who is also an Olympic gold medallist in the 49er, will replace Briton Chris Draper as wing trimmer with Tom Slingsby's Flying Roos.
Next season's Rolex SailGP Championship will span 13 events globally, starting in Perth, Australia in January and ending with the winner-takes-all grand final in Abu Dhabi.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
