Rio 2016 - 49erFX Gold Medal provides local fizz for Sailing Olympics

by Sail-World.com on 22 Aug 2016 Long time Associated Press sailing correspondent, Bernie Wilson (San Diego, CA) was in Rio de Janeiro for the duration of the 2016 Olympic Regatta.

Here is his take of the final day of Medal Racing, and a link to the full archive of his stories from the 2016 Sailing Olympics

Oh, what a golden finish it was for Brazil in the Rio Olympics sailing regatta.

Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze sent their fellow Brazilians into a frenzy on Flamengo Beach on Thursday after holding off the New Zealand crew by two seconds to win the gold medal in the women's 49erFX class, which was making its Olympic debut.

The host country's only sailing medal of the games, it came in the last race of the regatta.

It added to the legacy of the Grael family, and it launched quite the party.

Grael and Kunze hugged after the finish and then flipped backward off the skiff into Guanabara Bay. They then capsized their boat, and the celebration was on.

Several family members and friends jumped into the surf to celebrate.

As their skiff approached the shore, a few dozen people waded into the water, lifted the craft and carried it up to the beach, with the sailors standing on top of it.

'I've never had that feeling before,' Grael said. 'It was indescribable. It's actually how I hoped I could be taken out of the water.'

Grael's father, Torben, who counts two golds among his five Olympic medals, watched the race from a coach boat. He smiled as he watched as the medal was draped around his daughter's neck, against the backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain.

'When he was watching us get the medal, he was very emotional, and that made me emotional as well,' Martine Grael said. 'I'm just proud to be part of the family.'

The 49erFX is new to the Olympics. It's similar to the men's 49er.

'I think with all the people cheering for us, it was really a big emotion for us,' Kunze said. 'I think for Brazil it's special, this medal. We feel we are representing a lot of things, like girls and sailing and sports, I was not expecting so much warmth from the Brazilian people. We were very pleased with such a reception.'

Watching the shore side celebration was Robert Scheidt, who finished fourth in the Laser to just miss becoming the first sailor and Brazilian to win six Olympic medals.

For the rest of this story and Bernie Wilson's coverage of the 2016 Rio Sailing Olympics click here