Rio 2016 flag-bearer Lola Moreira eyes qualification for second Olympic Games

Uruguay's Dolores Moreira Fraschini at the 2016 Youth Worlds
Dolores Moreira Fraschini at the 2016 Youth Worlds in Auckland, New Zealand

Aarhus World Championships

Dolores 'Lola' Moreira at Rio 2016
Sailing Energy
Dolores 'Lola' Moreira Fraschini at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Dolores Moreira Fraschini, known as Lola Moreira, has already accumulated a vast amount of competition experience at the age of just 19.

The Uruguayan Laser Radial sailor competed in her first major senior event aged 15, when she finished 31st at the 2014 Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain.

A year later she won silver at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada which booked her a spot at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

At Rio 2016 she had the privilege of being Uruguay's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony.

Aged 17, she was up against fierce competition, but held her own and placed 25th overall.

More accolades were to follow for the talented young sailor, with 2017 becoming a stand-out year in her career.

In June, Moreira travelled to the 2017 World Cup Series Final in Santander as a relative underdog, without any prior podium experience at the competition.

She used this to her advantage and won bronze following a second-placed finish in the Medal Race.

Moreira then won a silver medal at the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championships in Sanya, China, that December.

There, she actually finished level on points with gold medallist Charlotte Rose (USA), who beat her to top spot on the podium with a superior finish in the final race.

Age is just a number for the teenager, who featured in the 2018 World Cup Series Rounds in the run-up to the Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018, and she is focused only on reaching her second Olympic Games with a strong finish this August.