Martine Grael

Last updated

Martine Grael
Martine Grael Rio 2016.jpg
Grael at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full nameMartine Soffiatti Grael
Born (1991-02-12) 12 February 1991 (age 34)
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) [1]
Weight62 kg (137 lb) [1]
Sport
Sailing career
Classes
ClubBurgee of Rio YC.svg Rio Yacht Club [1]
CoachJavier Torres del Moral [1]
Medal record
Sailing
Representing Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 49er FX
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo 49er FX
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Santander 49er FX
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2013 Marseille49er FX
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2015 Buenos Aires49er FX
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2017 Matosinhos 49er FX
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Auckland 49er FX
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2021 Al-Mussanah 49er FX
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Lima 49er FX
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Santiago 49er FX
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2015 Toronto 49er FX
Universiade
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2011 Shenzhen Team 470

Martine Soffiatti Grael [a] (born 12 February 1991) is a Brazilian sailor in the 49er FX class. Together with Kahena Kunze, she won the 49er FX class at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships and at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Contents

Career

Martine Grael was born 12 February 1991 [2] in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, [1] the daughter of Olympic sailing gold medalist Torben Grael. Her brother Marco and uncle Lars also sailed in the Olympics. [3]

In 2012, she competed with Isabel Swan in the 470 sailing class. The two came just short of representing Brazil in the sport at the 2012 Olympics after losing out to Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Barbachan in a tie-breaker during the 2011–12 ISAF Sailing World Cup. [4] [5]

Grael then sailed with Kahena Kunze in the Olympic debuting 49er FX event. The two became World champions in the 49er FX class at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships [6] The duo then won the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. [7]

She sailed with Team AkzoNobel in the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race. [8] In 2024, Grael was designated captain of the debuting Brazilian team that would compete at the SailGP championship. [9]

Grael and Kunze also won the 49er FX event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. [10]

In 2025, she led the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team, as the first female driver in the history of the series. [4]

Achievements

As of 3 August 2021 [11]
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEvent
2009 ISAF Youth World Championships 7th29er class
2008 420 World Championships Athens, Greece4th420 class
2009 420 World Championships Lake Garda, Italy4th420 class
2009 ISAF Youth World Championships Búzios, Brazil1st420 class
2010 470 World Championships The Hague, Netherlands7th470 class
2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships Perth, Australia8th470 class
2011 2011 Summer Universiade Shenzhen, China3rd470 class team event
2012 470 World Championships Barcelona, Spain8th470 class
2013 49er & 49er FX World Championships Marseille, France2nd49er FX class
2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships Santander, Spain1st49er FX class
2015 49er & 49er FX World Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina2nd49er FX class
2016 49er & 49er FX World Championships Clearwater, USA6th49er FX class
2016 2016 Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil1st49er FX class
2017 49er & 49er FX World Championships Matosinhos, Portugal2nd49er FX class
2019 49er & 49er FX World Championships Auckland, New Zealand2nd49er FX class
2021 2020 Summer Olympics Enoshima, Japan1st49er FX class
2021 49er & 49er FX World Championships Al-Mussanah, Oman3rd49er FX class

Notes

  1. This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Soffiattiand the second or paternal family name is Grael.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Martine Grael". cob.org.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016.
  2. "Martine Grael Kahena Kunze". 49er.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  3. "Martine Grael e Kahena são campeãs mundiais na vela" [Martine Grael and Kahena are world sailing champions]. VEJA.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Racing Like Never Before. Martine Grael is Making History | FanAmp Insider". www.fanamp.com. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  5. "Brazilian 470 Women Olympic Team Selected". 470 Sailing. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  6. "World Sailor of the Year – About – ISAF – World Sailing – Official Website : Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze (BRA)". Sailing.org. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  7. "NEWSFLASH – Brazil wins 49erFX gold by 2 seconds from New Zealand". Sailing.org. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. "Olympic hero joins Volvo Ocean Race". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 25 July 2017. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  9. "Primeira piloto do SailGP, Martine Grael supera vento fraco e falha técnica na estreia em Dubai". ge. 23 November 2024.
  10. "Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze win gold for Brazil in the women's skiff 49er FX". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  11. "Martine Soffiatti Grael". Sailing.org. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
Awards
Preceded by Brazilian Sportswomen of the Year
alongside Kahena Kunze

2014
Succeeded by
Incumbent