One Person Dinghy (Laser), Open

The last two Olympic Laser competitions had come down to Brazil’s Robert Scheidt and Britain’s Ben Ainslie, with Scheidt winning gold in 1996 and Ainslie in 2000. Ainslie, however, had moved to the Finn class, in which he would win the 2004 Olympic gold medal. This left the class open for Scheidt, who hardly needed help, as earlier in 2004 he had won his seventh World Championship in the class. Scheidt won his second Olympic gold medal in Athina, but had to work to do it, winning only one race and having to race on the final day.

Scheidt would switch to the Star class after winning the 2005 Worlds, winning Olympic silver and bronze in that class in 2008 and 2012, respectively. In 2013, however, he switched back to Laser and won his ninth World Championship in that class, giving him 12 in all, as he won Star World titles in 2007, 2011, and 2012. Scheidt’s five Olympic medals through 2012 makes him the all-time leader among Olympic sailors, tied with Ainslie, and another Brazilian, Torben Grael, who his won fifth medal in Athina, a gold in the Star class.