Rio Olympics Sailing
In less than a month, we will all turn our attention to Rio to see how the Summer Olympics unfolds. Sailing will be a hotly contested sport at the Games. While there have been some "concerns over the Rio sailing venue", that is out of the athletes' hands. All they can do is focus on the challenge at hand.
Brazil’s Best Olympic Sport
Brazil has a proud history in Olympic sailing. This sport is predicted to be one of the country’s most successful events at the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics. Brazil has already won in past Olympic Games several medals in this sport. Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt have a record haul of five Olympic medals each in sailing. Eight years ago in Beijing, Brazilian sailors Fernanda Oliveira and Isabel Swan both won Olympic medals, making them the first female Brazilian sailors to medal at the Olympics.
In a country obsessed with football and where other sports compete for scarce resources, sailing stands out as one of the most bankable options for medals at the Olympics for Brazil. This year, local medal hopes are led by 49erFX two-women skiff sailors Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. Grael won the World Championships in 2014 and finished fifth in 2016. The evergreen and super-experienced Robert Scheidt is always a medal chance, especially in local conditions. Scheidt will be representing Brazil in his sixth Olympics this year.
In a country obsessed with football and where other sports compete for scarce resources, sailing stands out as one of the most bankable options for medals at the Olympics for Brazil. This year, local medal hopes are led by 49erFX two-women skiff sailors Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. Grael won the World Championships in 2014 and finished fifth in 2016. The evergreen and super-experienced Robert Scheidt is always a medal chance, especially in local conditions. Scheidt will be representing Brazil in his sixth Olympics this year.
Taking Advantage of Local Conditions
Guanabara Bay is considered to be one of the toughest venues in the world for sailing because of notoriously difficult conditions. Shifty winds along with strong currents and tides are factors inside the bay, while outside there will be steadier winds but also the chance of higher waves in the Atlantic. To medal in Brazil will require the full complement of skills, certainly giving the locals an edge.
