Two Brazilian sailors won gold at Tokyo 2020 and accidentally capsized their boat and broke their mast while celebrating

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Two Brazilian sailors won gold at Tokyo 2020 and accidentally capsized their boat and broke their mast while celebrating
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. Phil Walter/Getty Images
  • Brazilian sailing duo Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze won gold at Tokyo 2020.
  • After winning, Grael and Kunze took their boat into shallow water to celebrate and capsized.
  • It's not the first time Grael and Kunze have capsized during a celebration at the Olympics.
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Brazilian sailing duo Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze won gold at the Olympics on Tuesday, winning the women's skiff 49er FX competition.

Grael and Kunze were the reigning gold medal winners, having won previously at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

After the win, Grael and Kunze went to celebrate and wound up capsizing their boat in the process.

Judging by the photos, it appears as though the duo had sailed towards a group of supporters watching from the shore to celebrate their win, and that's where trouble struck.

Two Brazilian sailors won gold at Tokyo 2020 and accidentally capsized their boat and broke their mast while celebrating
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. Huang Zongzhi/Xinhua via Getty Images

"It's just good to be around friends," Grael said after the win and subsequent capsize. "It's always good to be around friends."

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"And then we capsized the boat in a place where we didn't know if there were any rocks," Kunze joked. "It was a little bit shallow," Grael agreed.

"And we broke the mast, but it's okay," Kunze concluded. "It's a nice moment. It's going to stay in our mind forever."

Two Brazilian sailors won gold at Tokyo 2020 and accidentally capsized their boat and broke their mast while celebrating
Brazil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images

For Grael and Kunze, it's not the first time a trip to the Olympics has ended with a gold medal and a capsized boat.

At Rio 2016, the Brazilians were able to take home gold in the same event, defending the waters of their home country.

After that win, they also celebrated with a capsized boat and a smile.

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Two Brazilian sailors won gold at Tokyo 2020 and accidentally capsized their boat and broke their mast while celebrating
Brazil's Kahena Kunze and Martine Grael at Rio 2016. AP Photo/Bernat Armangue

Congratulations to Grael and Kunze. May your boats continue to only capsize in celebration of victory.

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