Torben Grael facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Torben Grael

Grael in 2003
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Turbine
Nationality	Brazilian
Born	(1960-07-22) 22 July 1960 (age 65) São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Sailing career
Class(es)	Soling, Star
Club	Rio Yacht Club
Medal record Sailing Representing  Brazil Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Star class Gold 2004 Athens Star class Silver 1984 Los Angeles Soling class Bronze 1988 Seoul Star class Bronze 2000 Sydney Star class

Torben Grael, the skipper of Ericsson 4, won the Volvo Ocean Race in 2009.

Torben Schmidt Grael, born on July 22, 1960, is a very famous Brazilian sailor. He is known around the world for his amazing skills in sailing competitions. Torben started sailing when he was just five years old. His grandfather took him out on a sailboat called Aileen. This boat was special because it was used by the Danish sailing team that won a silver medal in the 1912 Summer Olympics.

When Torben moved to Niterói, he began sailing with his brother, Lars Grael, in the Bay of Guanabara. Lars is also an Olympic medal winner! Another one of his brothers, Axel Grael, is currently the mayor of Niterói. Torben is also a father to two sailors: Martine Grael, who is an Olympic champion, and Marco Grael.

Torben Grael's Amazing Achievements

Torben Grael is often called "Turbine" because of how fast and skillfully he handles sailboats. He has won five Olympic medals, which is a huge achievement! Four of these medals were won in the Star class, a type of sailboat.

Olympic Medal Record

Torben holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by a Brazilian athlete. He shares the record for the most Olympic sailing medals with Ben Ainslie and Robert Scheidt, each having five. Paul Elvstrøm is close behind with four medals. Torben has also won many World, South American, and Brazilian championships in different sailing categories. His sailing partner, or "first-mate," is usually Marcelo Ferreira.

Sailing Around the World

Torben has competed in other big international races too. He was the skipper (captain) of the Brasil 1 team in the 2005–06 Volvo Ocean Race. This was the first time an all-Brazilian team entered this tough competition, and they finished in third place overall.

He then went on to win the next Ocean Race as the skipper of the Swedish team Ericsson 4. They won the race with two legs still to go! In October 2008, his yacht Ericsson 4 set a new record. It traveled 596.6 nautical miles in just 24 hours. This happened during the first part of the 2008–2009 Volvo Ocean Race. Torben and his crew sailed through strong winds, reaching speeds of almost 40 knots, and their boat averaged 24.8 knots.

Torben has also sailed in several America's Cup races. These are very famous and challenging sailing competitions. He was part of the winning team in the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000. In 2007, he was the tactician (the person who plans the race strategy) for the Luna Rossa Challenge team.

International Sailing Results

Torben Grael has achieved many top results in dinghy sailing competitions around the world. Here are some of his notable international achievements:

Sources:

See also

In Spanish: Torben Grael para niños