Lars Schmidt Grael (born February 9, 1964 in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
) is a Brazilian
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and former professional
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
, having won two Olympic bronze medals (in
1988 and
1996).
His brother,
Torben Grael, is also a sailor. Together they won the 1983
Snipe World Championship.
Lars is also ten-time Brazilian and five-time South American champion for the
Tornado class, in which he also won his medals, eight years apart, in the
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
and
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
Summer Olympics, alongside
Clinio Freitas and
Henrique Pellicano
Henrique "Kiko" Pellicano (born February 28, 1974) is a Brazilian sailor. He won the bronze medal in the ''Tornado Class'' at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta along with Lars Grael. Pellicano hails from a family of sailors, with his si ...
, respectively.
In September 1998, he suffered a serious accident in
Vitória,
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...
, caused by the negligence of a boat driver that left the boat
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
uncovered, which amputated one of the athlete's legs. Grael then gradually began to take a role to promote the sport in politics.
External links
*
1964 births
Sportspeople from São Paulo
Brazilian amputees
Brazilian people of Danish descent
Brazilian people of Polish descent
Brazilian male sailors (sport)
Living people
Olympic bronze medalists for Brazil
Olympic medalists in sailing
Olympic sailors of Brazil
Sailors at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Sailors at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Sailors at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Snipe class world champions
Star class sailors
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
World champions in sailing for Brazil
Star class world champions
Lars Grael
Lars Schmidt Grael (born February 9, 1964 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian politician and former professional sailor, having won two Olympic bronze medals (in 1988 and 1996).
His brother, Torben Grael, is also a sailor. Together they won t ...
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