SAN DIEGO — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Martine Grael will be the first woman to pilot an F50 foiling catamaran in SailGP as a new Brazilian team makes its debut in the fifth season of tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s international league.
Grael was announced on Monday during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, which will host a regatta on May 3-4 in Guanabara Bay, framed by Sugarloaf Mountain.
“I’m here to represent every girl out there. There are several girls who could be in this role, so I’m deeply honored to be the first,” Grael stated in a video interview with The Associated Press.
“Honestly, I believe it’s going to be a considerable challenge, not just for me as a girl but as an athlete, to enter a circuit that’s already established and trying to perform against teams that are already skilled,” she continued. “I think it’s going to require every bit of effort.”
Launched in 2019 by Ellison and five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand, SailGP features many of the world’s best sailors, including America’s Cup champions and Olympic medalists. The fifth season will see 11 teams competing across 14 regattas.
Torben Grael, Martine’s father, won two gold medals among his five Olympic medals, captained the victorious team in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, and has also participated in the America’s Cup.
In 2016, Martine Grael and her crew, Kahena Kunze, secured the 49erFX gold medal on home waters, narrowly defeating New Zealand by two seconds in the regatta’s final race, igniting a spirited celebration on Flamengo Beach. As their skiff neared the shore, dozens waded into the sea, hoisting the skiff and carrying it triumphantly to the beach, with the sailors on top.
They repeated their gold medal success in Tokyo and finished eighth in Paris last month. Grael also crewed for Team AkzoNobel during the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race.
Reflecting on her transition from the 49erFX to the wingsailed F50s, Grael mentioned she feels excitement and goosebumps, asserting that having two gold medals isn’t the main factor.
“What truly matters is your performance and attitude,” she remarked. “It really counts what you contribute in the moment and how your team responds.”
Beginning in 2021, SailGP initiated a Women’s Pathway Program, ensuring there has been a woman on each boat in every race, with a total of 37 women having participated aboard F50s. Most teams now feature an active roster with three women alongside their male colleagues.
“I believe I was born at the right time,” noted Grael, 33, who was raised in Niterói, located across Guanabara Bay from Rio.
“She was the natural choice,” Coutts told the AP. “Brazil has a robust history in Olympic sailing, and when considering the talent available, she stands out. With two gold medals, she has demonstrated the capability to perform under pressure.”
“If the Brazilian team surrounds Grael with the right crew, “there’s no reason they can’t perform excellently,” Coutts stated. “This is incredibly exciting for the growth of women’s sailing. If she excels and wins races at this level, it will undoubtedly inspire young female sailors to aspire to follow in her footsteps.
“Moreover, it is unique for her to compete against the top male athletes in the sport,” Coutts added.
Tom Slingsby, an Olympic gold medalist and former America’s Cup champion, dominated the initial three seasons of SailGP until Spain’s Diego Botin shocked Slingsby and New Zealand’s Peter Burling in the winner-takes-all $2 million Season 4 championship race on July 13. Three weeks later, Botin and his SailGP wing trimmer Florian Trittel secured the Olympic gold in the 49er.
Burling, who has one gold among his three Olympic medals, is the reigning two-time America’s Cup champion helmsman. British helmsman Giles Scott is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Currently, Slingsby, Burling, and Scott are competing in the America’s Cup trials in Barcelona.
“It won’t be easy, but I believe she has the talent necessary to succeed,” Coutts remarked.
On Monday night, Grael was expected to depart for Bermuda to join SailGP’s first preseason training camp on an F50 equipped with new T-foils intended to enhance the boats’ speed. Prior to the season opener in Dubai on Nov. 23-24, she will have additional training time in the boat at a camp.
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Bernie Wilson has reported on sailing for The Associated Press since 1991.