Our second medal

From 11.43 LIVE: Will Vadlau/Mähr sail to Olympic gold?

Lara Vadlau and Lukas Mähr celebrate gold.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Austria can celebrate its second medal at the Olympic Games - and it shines in GOLD! Our sailing aces Lara Vadlau and Lukas Mähr triumphed in the 470 class on Thursday.

In an extremely exciting medal race, Lara Vadlau and Lukas Mähr sailed to seventh place off the coast of Marseille. Due to their lead, it was enough to win, our sailing duo let us cheer about gold!

Party in red-white-red

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Vadlau and Mähr finished the regatta with 38 points ahead of Japan's Keiju Okada/Miho Yoshioka (41) and Sweden's Anton Dahlberg/Lovisa Karlsson (47). It was the second medal for the ÖOC at the Summer Games in France after Michaela Polleres' judo bronze.

(Bild: AP)

For domestic sailing, it was the first medal at the Summer Games since Thomas Zajac/Tanja Frank won bronze in the Nacra 17 in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. It was the first title win since 2004 in Athens, when Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher took their second gold in the Tornado. Hagara will be present in Marseille as head of the OeSV's technology department. The association now has a total of nine medals under the sign of the five rings.

All Austrian gold medals at the Summer Games

1896 Athens:
Paul Neumann (swimming)
Adolf Schmal (cycling)

1904 St. Louis:
Julius Lenhart (gymnastics, individual all-around)
Julius Lenhart (gymnastics, all-around, team)

1928 Amsterdam:
Franz Andrysek (weightlifting)
Hans Haas (weightlifting)

1932 Los Angeles:
Ellen Preis (fencing)

1936 Berlin:
Robert Fein (weightlifting)
Gregor Hradetzky (Canoe K1)
Gregor Hradetzky (folding boat)
Adolf Kainz/Alfons Dorfner (canoe K2)

1948 London:
Herma Bauma (athletics)

1960 Rome:
Hubert Hammerer (shooting)

1980 Moscow:
Sissy Theurer (riding, dressage)

1984 Los Angeles:
Peter Seisenbacher (judo)

1988 Seoul:
Peter Seisenbacher (judo)

2000 Sydney:
Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher (sailing, Tornado)
Christoph Sieber (sailing, surfing)

2004 Athens:
Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher (sailing, Tonado)
Kate Allen (triathlon)

2021 Tokyo:
Anna Kiesenhofer (cycling)

2024 Paris:
Lara Vadlau/Lukas Mähr (sailing/470s)

Proven strong nerves
Vadlau/Mähr showed nerves of steel throughout the regatta after a false start in the first race. Not only in action on the water, but also due to the many shifts caused by the wind.

In the medal race, of all races, things did not go according to plan at first,Vadlau/Mähr were only last at the first buoy, had worked their way up to ninth place at the second and, unlike their direct competitors for the medals, initially chose the other side, making up place after place. At marker three, the red-white-red duo were already in sixth place and thus in gold. Seventh place was also enough in the end. "We have gold or not," shouted Vadlau in disbelief, before falling into Mähr's arms.

Sailing - 470 Mixed:
Gold: Lara VADLAU/Lukas MÄHR (AUT)
Silver: Keiju Okada/Miho Yoshioka (JPN)
Bronze: Anton Dahlberg/Lovisa Karlsson (SWE)