Brazilian sailor Scheidt qualifies for seventh Olympics

MELBOURNE - Brazilian sailing great Robert Scheidt secured a berth at his seventh Olympic Games after meeting the qualification criteria at the Laser Standard Men's World Championship here.

The 46-year-old dual Olympic gold medallist booked his ticket to Tokyo by finishing seventh and ninth in consecutive races at the Sandringham Yacht Club in Melbourne. As a result he rose from 37th to 29th among 124 sailors in the regatta.

No other Brazilian has competed at seven Olympic Games and only 14 athletes in total have appeared at eight or more editions. Canada's Ian Miller participated at a world record 10 Olympics from 1972 to 2012 in equestrian.

"This confirmation is important," Scheidt told reporters. "The competition is very tough and the boat is very demanding from a physical point of view. But I'm motivated to improve my competitiveness. I'm going to fight as hard as I can in Tokyo for another podium finish.

Scheidt won gold in the laser class at the Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 Olympics while also claiming silver at the Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Games. He claimed bronze in London in 2012 and finished fourth in Rio four years ago.