Estonia competed at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's twelfth appearance at the Games and seventh consecutive in the post-Soviet era. The Estonian Olympic Committee fielded a team of 45 athletes, 28 men and 17 women, across 13 sports at the Games. It was the nation's second-largest delegation sent to the Olympics, just two athletes short of the record achieved in Beijing 2008 (47). Among the sports represented by its athletes, Estonia marked its Olympic return to triathlon after being absent from London 2012, as well as weightlifting after eight decades. Athletics had the largest team by sport with only 13 competitors, roughly a third of the nation's full roster size. Apart from triathlon and weightlifting, there was also a single competitor each in archery, judo, and shooting. Fifteen Estonian athletes competed in London, with discus thrower and 2008 champion

Gerd Kanter Gerd Kanter (born 6 May 1979) is a retired Estonian discus thrower. He was the 2007 World Champion in the event and won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and bronze in London 2012. His personal best throw of 73.38 m is the Estonian ...

, rowers Tõnu Endrekson and

Andrei Jämsä Andrei Jämsä (born 14 February 1982) is an Estonian rower. Due to a back injury he could not compete in 2007. He is a member of rowing club "Pärnu Sõudeklubi" (Pärnu Rowing Club) located in Pärnu. Junior years Jämsä was born in Pärnu. ...

, and épée fencer Nikolai Novosjolov headed to their fourth Games as the most experienced competitors of the team. Sisters and marathon runners Leina,

Liina Liina is an Estonian language, Estonian feminine given name and may refer to: *Liina Brunelle (born 1978), actress *Liina Kersna (born 1980), journalist and politician *Liina Laasma (born 1992), javelin thrower *Liina-Grete Lilender (born 1979), fi ...

, and

Lily Luik Lily Luik (born 14 October 1985) is an Estonian long-distance runner. She competed in the marathon event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.Heiki Nabi in the super heavyweight category, and Laser sailor

Karl-Martin Rammo Karl-Martin Rammo (born 6 June 1989) is an Estonian sailor, born in Tallinn. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Men's Laser class. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of Jan ...

, who was selected by the committee as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony. Estonia left Rio de Janeiro with only a bronze medal. It was awarded to the rowing foursome of Endrekson, Jämsä, and three-time Olympians Allar Raja and Kaspar Taimsoo in the men's quadruple sculls, rebounding from their out-of-medal position at London 2012. Several Estonian athletes advanced further to the finals of their respective sporting events, but came closest to the medal haul, including the women's épée team, discus throwers Kanter and

Martin Kupper Martin Kupper (born 31 May 1989, in Tallinn) is an Estonian track and field athlete who competes in the discus throw. He has a personal best of , set in 2015. He is a member of the Audentese SK sports club. He competed in the discus as a teenage ...

, hurdler

Rasmus Mägi Rasmus Mägi (born 4 May 1992) is an Estonian hurdler. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's 400 metres hurdles without qualifying for the semifinals. He won the silver medal at the 2014 European Championships. Mägi came in sixt ...

, and Nabi, who could not reproduce his podium feat from London after losing the bronze to Russia's Sergey Semenov.

Medalists

Archery

One Estonian archer qualified for the women's individual recurve at the Olympics by virtue of a top six national finish at the 2016

Archery World Cup The Archery World Cup is a competition, started in 2006, organized by the World Archery Federation, where the archers compete in four stages in four countries and the best eight archers of each category (from 2010, four archers during 2006-09) ad ...

meet in Antalya, Turkey.

Athletics

Estonian athletes achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event): ;Track & road events ;Men ;Women ;Field events ;Men ;Women ;Combined events – Men's decathlon ;Combined events – Women's heptathlon

Badminton

Estonia qualified two badminton players for each of the following events into the Olympic tournament. Remarkably going to his third Olympics,

Raul Must Raul Must (born November 9, 1987) is a badminton player from Estonia. He is a four time Olympian representing Estonia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics and also at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Must was a men ...

had claimed his Olympic spot as one of top 34 individual shuttlers in the BWF World Rankings as of 5 May 2016, while

Kati Tolmoff Kati Tolmoff (born 3 December 1983 in Tartu) is a badminton player from Estonia. She represented Estonia at the 2008 and 2016 Olympic Games. She competed in the women's singles event, where she lost to Chloe Magee 21–18, 18–21, and 19–2 ...

picked up one of the spare athlete berths freed by the Tripartite Commission as the next highest-ranked eligible player in the women's singles.

Cycling

Road

Estonian riders qualified for a maximum of two quota places in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 15 final national ranking in the

2015 UCI Europe Tour The 2015 UCI Europe Tour was the eleventh season of the UCI Europe Tour. The 2015 season began on 29 January 2015 with the Vuelta a Mallorca, Trofeo Santanyí-Ses Salines-Campos and ended on 25 October 2015 with the Tour of Aegean. The points le ...

Fencing

Estonian fencers qualified a full squad in the women's team épée by virtue of their top 4 national finish in the FIE Olympic Team Rankings. Nikolai Novosjolov, who competed at his fourth Olympics, secured a spot in the men's épée as one of the two highest-ranking fencers coming from the Europe zone outside the world's top eight qualifying teams in the FIE Adjusted Official Rankings.

Judo

Estonia qualified one judoka for the men's half-heavyweight category (100 kg) at the Games. Grigori Minaškin earned a continental quota spot from the European region as the highest-ranked Estonian judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of 30 May 2016.

Rowing

Estonia qualified one boat in the men's quadruple sculls for the Olympics at the 2015 FISA World Championships in Lac d'Aiguebelette, France. Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Sailing

Estonian sailors qualified one boat in each of the following classes through the

2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships The 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, was held in Santander, Spain, this was the fourth edition of the ISAF Sailing World Championships. It is the world championships for all disciplines used at the upcoming Olympics. What gives this event gr ...

, the individual fleet Worlds, and European qualifying regattas. The women's 49erFX crew was added to the Estonia's sailing line-up, as the nation has received a spare Olympic berth freed up by Australia, Croatia and Austria from the

International Sailing Federation International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race

Shooting

Estonia received an invitation from ISSF to send European Games finalist Peeter Olesk in both men's air and rapid fire pistol to the Olympics, as long as the minimum qualifying score (MQS) was fulfilled by 31 March 2016. Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)

Swimming

Estonia received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.

Triathlon

Estonia entered one triathlete to compete at the Games, signifying the nation's Olympic comeback to the sport after an eight-year hiatus. Kaidi Kivioja was selected as the highest-ranked triathlete from Europe in the women's event based on the ITU Points List.

Weightlifting

Estonia qualified one male weightlifter for the Olympics by virtue of his top 15 individual finish, among those who had not secured any quota places through the World or European Championships, in the IWF World Rankings as of 20 June 2016, signifying the nation's Olympic return to the sport for the first time since

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

. The place was awarded to

Mart Seim Mart Seim (born 24 October 1990) is an Estonian weightlifter competing in the +105 kg category. Seim competed for Estonia at the 2014 World Weightlifting Championships finishing 4th with a total of 431 kg. At the 2015 World Weightlifti ...

in the men's super heavyweight division (+105 kg).

Wrestling

Estonia qualified three wrestlers for each the following weight classes into the Olympic tournament. One of them had claimed an Olympic spot in the women's freestyle 75 kg at the 2015 World Championships, while two more Olympic berths were awarded to Estonian wrestlers, who progressed to the top two finals each in men's Greco-Roman 98 & 130 kg at the 2016 European Qualification Tournament. ;Men's Greco-Roman ;Women's freestyle

References

External links

* {{Country at games navbox, Estonia, Olympics

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Nations at the 2016 Summer Olympics