Lange / Carranza

Santiago Lange is one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of sailing, and of the Olympic Games. A naval architect from Buenos Aires, he first represented Argentina at the Seoul 1988 Olympics and went on to compete at six Games across nearly three decades, winning Tornado-class bronze medals at both Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

His crowning achievement came against almost impossible odds. In 2015, while preparing for Rio, Lange was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery to remove a large part of his left lung. Just months later, at the age of 54, he returned to the water and, with Cecilia Carranza Saroli, won Nacra 17 gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics by a single point, becoming the oldest gold medallist of those Games.

It was Argentina's first-ever Olympic sailing gold, an emotional triumph that moved the sport worldwide and earned Lange the 2016 World Sailor of the Year award. His story of resilience, longevity and sheer love of the sea has become one of the most inspiring in Olympic history.

Cecilia Carranza Saroli, born in Rosario in December 1986, is an Argentine sailing pioneer. She began in the single-handed Laser Radial, representing Argentina at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics and winning gold at the 2011 Pan American Games, before switching to the mixed Nacra 17 alongside the vastly experienced Santiago Lange.

Together they wrote history at the Rio 2016 Olympics, becoming the first sailors from Argentina ever to win Olympic gold, a victory made all the more remarkable by Lange's recovery from cancer in the months beforehand. Carranza Saroli's poise and skill in the front of the boat were every bit as vital as her partner's experience.

The triumph made her a national sporting icon; she and Lange were chosen as Argentina's flag bearers for the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony, and she was a nominee for World Sailor of the Year. A multiple world and continental medallist, Carranza Saroli remains one of the most celebrated names in South American sailing.