Photo of the Day

The best photos of the best athletes training, sailing and preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

June 20, 2016

Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 — Brazil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze are greeted by fans on Flamengo beach after the 49er FX team won the gold medal in their home waters at the Rio 2016 Olympics. The medal came down to the very last moments of the medal race, with New Zealand's Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech finishing less than two seconds behind them.Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing — New Zealand's Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech go into a four-way showdown for podium positions in the 49erFX class on the final day of racing in the Rio Olympics. Meech and Maloney are just one point behind the three leaders, who are all tied for points.Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Team GBR Olympics — Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark clinched the 470W gold medal with a race so spare. The pair won silver in London 2012 “I remember standing on the podium and thinking ‘I just really want the anthem. We know the words," says Mills. "This Olympics especially, there has been so many gold medallists from Team GB and you watch them at the medal ceremony and they are up on the podium with the anthem playing and that feeling is what you desperately, desperately want for yourself. I can’t wait.”Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Sweden Laser Radial — Just minutes before this photo of Sweden's Josefin Olsson was taken, the Laser Radial fleet was bobbing around on the medal race course with no breeze. A cold front blasted across Guanabara Bay, bringing with it 35+ knots of breeze. After a day of postponement for no breeze, racing was cancelled for high winds. The situation reminded the sailors just how challenging—and volatile— conditions in Rio can be.Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Giles Scott Finn sailing Olympics Gold medal — Giles Scott celebrates his Finn gold medal with a race to spare after an emotional final leg of the race. Scott was well ahead of his competition and knew he had the race locked up before crossing the finish line. He held his head in his hands for a moment, before jumping up in victory. “Watching all of my friends racing at the Olympics and get medals wasn’t easy," he says. "but the amazing thing that came off the back of it was a desire to right the wrongs I felt I made, and to put together a campaign I could be proud of and just really work my ass off for three years.”Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Marit Bouwmeester Olympic Sailing — Netherland's Marit Bouwmeester is within shouting distance of the Olympic podium after the Radial medal race scheduled for Monday. "I think this time the difference is I have a few points on second and I'm certain of a medal, but the similarity is I still have to do a good Medal Race on Monday," reflects Bouwmeester. "We like the Medal Race course, it's challenging, but I'm quite confident there even though you never quite know what's going to happen on that course."Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Olympic Sailing Regatta Rio de Janeiro — In her Olympic debut, Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindom has seized the lead in the Laser Radial, leading second place Marit Bouwmeester by 10 points going into the final day of preliminary racing. Her secret? Keeping it light and calm. "These conditions have been very hard as far as technique," she says. "Right now it looks good for a medal, but like I've been saying all week it's about taking one race at a time. Sailing low-risk, staying away from fights and staying in the middle of the course, staying close to the other good sailors and keeping them under control, and not screwing it up."Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Nacra 17 Olympic Sailing Regatta — Australia's Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have put the Nacra fleet on notice. In a four-race series on Thursday, the cousins posted two bullets, a fourth and a fifth to tie them with the British team, Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves, for the lead in the class.Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Mathew Belcher Will Ryan Olympic Sailing — Mat Belcher and Will Ryan proved why they're the medal favorites in the Men's 470 out of the gate, scoring an 8 and 1 on the first day of racing and are currently second overall in the fleet behind the Croatian team, also favored to medal. "This is what the Games are meant to be," said Belcher of Wednesday's difficult conditions. "It's supposed to be challenging, to really test yourself. Today saw that."Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Finn Class Olympic Sailing — Argentina's Facundo Olezza, the youngest sailor in the Finn fleet at 21, took first blood in the Finn class on Tuesday “I never thought I would actually win the first race here, but now it’s over and it’s time to think of tomorrow," he says. "I am not trying to be emotional about it, just focused. For me the races are in the bag and the next are coming, so I am preparing for that.”Sailing Energy/World Sailing

USA Radial Sailor Paige Railey — USA's Paige Railey spent more time in Rio training than most of the Radial fleet, and it paid off yesterday with a second place in race 2. "I think I read the the wind pretty well today, and if I can keep doing that I know it will pay off throughout the event," says Railey. "I've been waiting for this moment, and I'm very happy for the Olympics to start. There are just eight more races before the final, and I have to just keep plugging away."Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Windsurfing Rio Olympics RS:X — The shifty breeze on the Pao racecourse made for a wild ride in the RS:X. Mattia Camboni finished fourth in the third race of day 1. "I saw the Korean sailor behind me go to the right and tack, so I tacked as well on the right side. It ended up being the good tack," says Camboni.Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 — With the Olympic Regatta scheduled to start on Monday, August 8 practice is in full swing at the Marina da Gloria. Athletes and team photographers alike are also spending time exploring the city of Rio de Janeiro, like World Sailing's official photographer Pedro Martinez. On Friday, after the opening ceremonies, their days will be even busier. The city of Rio is bustling, full of Olympic volunteers rushing to finish final preparations.Sailing Energy/World Sailing

American Windsurfer Pedro Pascual — "Rio’s conditions are mentally demanding,” says US Sailing Team Sperrys’ RS:X sailor Pedro Pascual. “I am getting better everyday and I see myself capable of fighting with the best windsurfers in the world. Preparing for the games mentally is as important as being prepared physically. Being surrounded by people with several Olympic medals and being told about their experience is helping us understand how we should think during the Olympics.”US Sailing Team Sperry/Jen Edney

Finn Class Danish Sailor — “It is very common for the Finn class to be very fierce on that water,” says Denmark's Jonas Høgh-Christensen, who will be sailing his fourth Olympics in Rio. “People shout and yell at each other and it will almost be like gladiators fighting to the death. But once we get in, we are all friends and people go for a beer and we still have a good time.”Robert Deaves/Finn Class

49er FX South American Sailing Championship — The 49er and 49er FX South American Championship, hosted by the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro, is the final championship event ahead of the Olympic regatta, set to begin August 8. Many of the teams are using the regatta to test their Olympic equipment and make final decisions on what they’ll be using come August. Here, Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze’s new spinnaker helps them take the lead in the second day of South American’s.Fred Hoffmann Fotografia/SIV Rio

French Finn Sailor Jonathan Lobert — In Rio, French Finn Sailor Jonathan Lobert’s greatest challenge has been finding equipment sturdy enough to handle the swell outside, but light enough to keep him moving through the current inside. “It’s a challenge, finding a balance between the two,” says Lobert. “I’m sailing the D-Fantastica, as is most of the fleet now.” He has been working with WB-Sails since London to develop the best mast and sail package for Rio, too. “In the beginning, it was a bit slow, but now we’ve all figured out how to change our technique to optimize the boat,” he says.Christophe Launay

American Flag Spinnaker Sailing Nacra 17 — American Nacra 17 team Bora Gulari and Louisa Chafee take their new kite design out for a spin. “We analyze the shapes, halyard height, and luff and leech lines.” says Chafee. “The luff is key — if it’s not the right length, you stall the top of the kite or you round the kite out too much, which can be bad in certain conditions. You’ll hit what our coach Randy Smythe calls a ‘brick wall,’ when you can’t accelerate. If you burp the halyard, it helps deal with that over rounding.”Bora Gulari

Team New Zealand Molly Meech and Alex Maloney Sailing — New Zealand’s Alex Maloney and Molly Meech have been sailing in the 49erFX together for two years, and are one of the most dialed-in teams in the international fleet. “Trust is everything in doublehanded sailing,” says Maloney of her relationship with crew Meech. “You have to have complete confidence that the other person is going to commit to their role 100 percent. My role is about decision making and tactics, while Molly makes the boat go fast and smoothly so I can make those best decisions.”Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool

Peina Chen Windsurfing — China’s Peina Chen celebrates her Sailing World Cup Weymouth win. Chen is the 2015 RS:X world champion and now turns her sights to Rio to continue her stint atop the world’s podiums. China has recently strengthened their international sailing presence, following Lijia Xu’s gold medal win in the Laser Radial in 2012. “ I'm still trying to help all the young, amateur sailors to get involved in sailing,” said Xu in Weymouth. “Hopefully this trend can keep going on and it can be more competitive."World Sailing

Evi — Evi Van Acker, currently ranked no. 1 in the world in the Laser Radial, practices for the Sailing World Cup Weymouth, the final World Sailing event before the Olympics, which will be Van Acker’s third appearance. When racing starts in Weymouth on June 8th, Van Acker will be wearing a yellow bib, signifying her international accolade and making her easier to spot on the water — particularly for Netherland’s Marit Bouwmeester, who is nipping at her heels for the top spot going into the Games.Jesus Renedo/Sailing Energy

Stu and Dave — Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.) have earned selection to the Rio 2016 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team based on the results of the US Sailing Olympic Athlete Selection Series in the Men’s 470, the two-person dinghy. The veteran pair have sailed as team since late 2012, although their experience in Olympic-class sailing stretches back much further. In just over three years, McNay and Hughes have compiled an impressive list of podium finishes at the world’s top regattas.Will Ricketson/US Sailing Team Sperry

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