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| Event type

Skiff (49er FX), Women

Date12 – 18 August 2016
StatusOlympic
LocationMarina da Glória, Glória, Rio de Janeiro
Participants40 from 20 countries
FormatPoints awarded for placement in each race. Best 11 of 12 scores to count for final placement, and advancement to the medal race.. Medal race points count double.

The equivalent to the men’s 49er class, this event made its Olympic début in Rio, bringing the number of women’s events to five, including the Nacra 17 mixed event. After varied performances by the Brazilian sailing team, a dramatic last race of the Olympic regatta treated the enthusiastic home crowd to a golden finish, as Brazil won their only sailing medal of the Games. The standings prior to the medal race meant four boats were in with a chance of gold. The crews in contention were Spain with Támara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos, Brazil with Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, Denmark with Jena Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen and the New Zealand pair of Alex Maloney and Molly Meech. The four crews, were separated by just three points and after the medal race one of them would go home without a medal. The leading teams confirmed their superiority by placing 1, 2, 4 and 7 in the medal race. But it was Spain, who had the best score after the preliminaries, that placed seventh and last of the four contenders, and their 14 points dropped them from first to fourth place. With a fourth place finish and eight more points, Denmark snatched the bronze medal from Spain. But the stars of the extremely close final were Brazil and New Zealand. Separated by just one point going in to the final race, it meant that whichever team finished ahead of the other would win gold. Eventually, Grael and Kunze, the 2014 world champions and 2015 runners-up, edged out the other former world champions Meech and Maloney by just two points after beating the New Zealanders into second place. After the finish, family members and friends of the victors waded into the water and carried the boat to the shore with the sailors standing on top. Martine’s father Torben Grael was one of the most successful sailors ever, winning two gold, one silver and two Olympic bronze medals between 1984 and 2004. Her brothers Marco and Lars are also Olympians, the latter winning two bronze medals, in 1988 and 1996.

PosBoatNOCPointsRace 1Race 2Race 3Race 4Race 5Race 6Race 7Race 8Race 9Race 10Race 11Race 12Medal Race
1Martine Grael / Kahena KunzeBRA48911102633112722Gold
2Alex Maloney / Molly MeechNZL5165445161233554Silver
3Jena Hansen / Katja Salskov-IversenDEN54212224291621248Bronze
4Támara Echegoyen / Berta BetanzosESP6041331115411510114
5Giulia Conti / Francesca ClapcichITA823776108151356476
6Sarah Steyaert / Aude CompanFRA851910121213194161310
7Annemiek Bekkering / Annette DuetzNED9721101238357131131012
8Charlotte Dobson / Sophie AinsworthGBR101211587102591514820
9Victoria Jurczok / Anika LorenzGER11021887671710796916
10Paris Henken / Helena ScuttUSA11213161451411881212618
11Lisa Ericson / Hanna KlingaSWE103116915391021614915
12Andrea Brewster / Saskia TideyIRL1198361813141961881312
13Vicky Travascio / María BranzARG129142013919127111041119
14Ragna Agerup / Maia AgerupNOR132101815179171346131711
15Griselda Khng / Sara TanSGP135121917111411820157813
16Erin Rafuse / Dannie BoydCAN1455411161616181712181614
17Noora Ruskola / Camilla CedercreutzFIN1547121613[21]15141514102018
18Arantza Gumucio / Begoña GumucioCHI168161418141519121417171516
19Kätlin Tammiste / Anna Maria SeppEST194151719201718161819201817
20Keiko Miyagawa / Sena TakanoJPN210211520191820201921191920