Team coach, Torben Grael praises the mix of experience and youth
The head coach of the Brazilian team in Paris 2024 will be Torben Grael, one of the greatest Olympic medalists in the country’s sports history – he won five, including two golds in the Star class, which is no longer part of the Games program. Father of Martine and Marco, he highlighted the good mix in the team, with experienced athletes and talented newcomers.
“It’s a big list, there are people going to the Games for the third time, others making their debut, so there’s a mix of experience and youth on the team, which I think is healthy. Our expectation, of course, is to maintain the tradition of bringing medals. Brazil has been bringing medals since 1968 in sailing, with the exception of the 1972 and 1992 Games, so there is a great expectation of trying to maintain this tradition of bringing medals to Brazil”, commented the multi-time champion during the team’s live presentation.
Torben said that the classes “with a little” more chance of a medal in Marseille are the 49er FX of Martine and Kahena, who are trying for the Olympic tri; and newcomers Bruno Lobo and Matheus Isaac, whose results in Formula Kite and iQFoil, respectively, have been good enough to try to fight for the podium.
He sees conditions in Marseille similar to those in Rio de Janeiro:
“It’s a hot place, a little unstable, with varying conditions. I think it’s good for our team.”
Another medalist on the technical team is Bruno Prada, leader in Robert Scheidt’s Star class, with whom he won a silver medal in Beijing 2008 and bronze in London 2012. He works directly with Matheus, but will also pass on his experience to the team’s newcomers.
CHECK OUT | More about the partnership between Matheus Isaac and Bruno Prada
