Lars Grael


Lars Schmidt Grael is a Brazilian sailor and public official. He is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in the Tornado class, having won medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He is also a world champion in the Snipe and Star classes, winning the Snipe World Championship in 1983 and the Star World Championship in 2015.
Grael competed in four Olympic Games and has achieved multiple national and international titles across several sailing classes. In addition to his competitive sailing career, he has served in appointed public administration roles related to sports policy in Brazil and is a co-founder of Projeto Grael, a non-profit organization that promotes social inclusion through sailing and nautical education.

Accident

In September 1998, Grael was involved in a serious motorboat accident during a sailing competition in Vitória, Espírito Santo. A motorboat entered the race area and collided with his boat, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. He later returned to competitive sailing following his recovery.

Philanthropy and social initiatives

Lars Grael is a co-founder of Projeto Grael, a Brazilian non-profit organization established in 1998 in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, together with his brother Torben Grael and sailor Marcelo Ferreira. The organization focuses on social inclusion through sailing and nautical activities, offering free sports, educational, and vocational programs to children and young people from economically vulnerable communities.
Projeto Grael operates primarily from Charitas Beach and provides instruction in sailing, swimming, and canoeing, as well as workshops related to boat maintenance and environmental education. Grael has also participated in events organized in partnership with international institutions, including a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime seminar on sport and social inclusion in Brazil.

Public service and administration

Lars Grael has served in appointed public administration roles related to sports policy in Brazil. He served as "National Secretary of Sports" at the federal level from 2001 to 2002.
He later served as "Secretary of Youth, Sports and Leisure" for the State of São Paulo from 2003 to 2006, where his responsibilities included oversight of state-level sports and youth programs.
In 1999, Grael was awarded the Order of Military Merit by the Brazilian government, as published in the "Diário Oficial da União". He has also received the Medal of Military Sports Merit, a distinct decoration awarded by Brazil’s Ministry of Defence in recognition of contributions to military sport.

Achievements

Across his competitive sailing career, Grael competed in four Olympic Games, reaching the medal race in each appearance and earning two bronze medals in the Tornado class. At the world championship level, he achieved multiple podium finishes across several classes, including a world title in the Star class and a world title in the Snipe class, along with additional medals in Star, Ocean, 12 Metre, and 6 Metre competition. Beyond world and Olympic events, Grael recorded extensive success at the continental level, winning multiple South American championships in both the Star and Tornado classes, as well as podium finishes at European, North American, Western Hemisphere, and Southern Hemisphere championships.

Olympic Games

ResultEventCrewVenueClass
7th1984 Summer OlympicsClinio FreitasLos Angeles, United StatesTornado
3rd1988 Summer OlympicsClinio FreitasSeoul, South KoreaTornado
8th1992 Summer OlympicsClinio FreitasBarcelona, SpainTornado
3rd1996 Summer OlympicsHenrique PellicanoAtlanta, United StatesTornado

World Championships

YearEventVenueResultCrewClassRef
1981Snipe World ChampionshipLong Beach, United States3rdTorben GraelSnipe
1983Snipe World ChampionshipPorto, Portugal1stTorben GraelSnipe
1999Ocean World ChampionshipSalvador, Brazil3rdOcean
200512 Metre World ChampionshipNewport, United States2nd12 Metre
2009Star World ChampionshipVarberg, Sweden3rdRonald SeifertStar
2010Star World ChampionshipRio de Janeiro, Brazil4thRonald SeifertStar
2015Star World ChampionshipBuenos Aires, Argentina1stSamuel GonçalvesStar
2016Star World ChampionshipMiami, United States4thSamuel GonçalvesStar
2017Star World ChampionshipTroense, Denmark2ndSamuel GonçalvesStar
20176 Metre World ChampionshipVancouver, Canada3rd6 Metre
2019Star Vintage Gold CupGull Lake, United States2ndArnis BaltinsStar
2022Star Vintage Gold CupGull Lake, United States1stIsao ToyamaStar
2023Star Vintage Gold CupGull Lake, United States1stMauricio BuenoStar
2025Star Vintage Gold CupGull Lake, United States2ndMarco LagoaStar

Continental Championships

European Championships

YearEventVenueResultCrewClassRef
2018European ChampionshipFlensburg, Germany2ndStar
2017European ChampionshipSanremo, Italy4thStar
2016European ChampionshipGaeta, Italy4thStar
2008European ChampionshipBalaton, Hungary4thStar
1996European ChampionshipAttersee, Austria4thTornado

North American Championships

YearEventVenueResultCrewClassRef
2011North American ChampionshipLido, United States2ndStar
2006North American ChampionshipNewport, United States2nd12 Metre
2010North American ChampionshipLos Angeles, United States5thStar
2007North American ChampionshipVancouver, Canada7thStar

South American Championships

YearEventVenueResultCrewClassRef
2023South American ChampionshipRio de Janeiro, Brazil1st

Western Hemisphere Championships

YearEventVenueResultCrewClassRef
2018Western Hemisphere ChampionshipMiami, United States1stStar
2014Western Hemisphere ChampionshipSunapee, United States1stStar
2015Western Hemisphere ChampionshipMiami, United States2ndStar

Southern Hemisphere Championships

YearEventVenueResultCrewClassRef
2011Southern Hemisphere ChampionshipRio de Janeiro, Brazil2ndStar