Estonia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's twelfth appearance at the Games and seventh consecutive in the post-Soviet era.
The Estonian Olympic Committee fielded a team of 45 athletes, 28 men and 17 women, across 13 sports at the Games. It was the nation's second-largest delegation sent to the Olympics, just two athletes short of the record achieved in Beijing 2008 (47). Among the sports represented by its athletes, Estonia marked its Olympic return to triathlon after being absent from London 2012, as well as weightlifting after eight decades. Athletics had the largest team by sport with only 13 competitors, roughly a third of the nation's full roster size. Apart from triathlon and weightlifting, there was also a single competitor each in archery, judo, and shooting.
Fifteen Estonian athletes competed in London, with discus thrower and 2008 champion Gerd Kanter, rowers Tõnu Endrekson and Andrei Jämsä, and épée fencer Nikolai Novosjolov headed to their fourth Games as the most experienced competitors of the team. Sisters and marathon runners Leina, Liina, and Lily Luik set a historic record for Estonia, as the first identical triplets to compete in the same event at the Games. Other notable athletes on the Estonian roster featured Greco-Roman wrestler and 2012 silver medalist Heiki Nabi in the super heavyweight category, and Laser sailor Karl-Martin Rammo, who was selected by the committee as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.
Estonia left Rio de Janeiro with only a bronze medal. It was awarded to the rowing foursome of Endrekson, Jämsä, and three-time Olympians Allar Raja and Kaspar Taimsoo in the men's quadruple sculls, rebounding from their out-of-medal position at London 2012. Several Estonian athletes advanced further to the finals of their respective sporting events, but came closest to the medal haul, including the women's épée team, discus throwers Kanter and Martin Kupper, hurdler Rasmus Mägi, and Nabi, who could not reproduce his podium feat from London after losing the bronze to Russia's Sergey Semenov.
Medalists
Medal Name Sport Event Date Tõnu EndreksonAndrei JämsäAllar RajaKaspar Taimsoo Rowing Men's quadruple sculls
Archery
One Estonian archer qualified for the women's individual recurve at the Olympics by virtue of a top six national finish at the 2016 Archery World Cup meet in Antalya, Turkey.
AthleteEventRanking roundRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / ScoreSeedOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankLaura NurmsaluWomen's individual62535L 0–6Did not advance
Athletics
Estonian athletes achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):
Track & road events Men AthleteEventHeat SemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankJaak-Heinrich Jagor400 m hurdles49.78 4Did not advanceRasmus Mägi48.553 Q48.644 q48.40 NR6Kaur Kivistik3000 m steeplechase8:44.25 13colspan=2 Did not advanceRoman FostiMarathoncolspan=4 2:19:2661Tiidrek Nurmecolspan=4 2:20:0163
Women AthleteEventFinalResultRankLeila LuikMarathon2:54:38114Liina LuikLily Luik2:48:2997
Field events Men AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionGerd KanterDiscus throw64.025 q65.105Martin Kupper62.9210 q66.584Magnus KirtJavelin throw79.33 23Did not advanceTanel Laanmäe80.4518Did not advanceRisto Mätas79.4022Did not advance
Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionKsenija BaltaLong jump6.714 Q6.796Liina LaasmaJavelin throw58.0620Did not advance
Combined events – Men's decathlon AthleteEventFinalRankKarl Robert Saluri Result10.827.0213.881.7750.3216.5142.964.5046.424:39.40722323Points901818721602800676725760536 684 Maicel Uibo Result11.167.14NM2.1351.0814.8437.695.1060.524:47.49717024Points8258470925765869618941746634
Combined events – Women's heptathlon AthleteEvent 200 m 800 mFinalRankGrit ŠadeikoResult——————Points0——————
Badminton
Estonia qualified two badminton players for each of the following events into the Olympic tournament. Remarkably going to his third Olympics, Raul Must had claimed his Olympic spot as one of top 34 individual shuttlers in the BWF World Rankings as of 5 May 2016, while Kati Tolmoff picked up one of the spare athlete berths freed by the Tripartite Commission as the next highest-ranked eligible player in the women's singles.
AthleteEventGroup stageEliminationQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankRaul MustMen's singlesL (8–21, 15–21)L (18–21, 21–18, 12–21)3Did not advanceKati TolmoffWomen's singlesL (14–21, 13–21)W (5–21, 21–13, 21–19)2Did not advance
Cycling
Road Estonian riders qualified for a maximum of two quota places in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 15 final national ranking in the 2015 UCI Europe Tour.
AthleteEventTimeRankTanel KangertMen's road race6:11:529Rein TaaramäeDid not finish
Fencing
Estonian fencers qualified a full squad in the women's team épée by virtue of their top 4 national finish in the FIE Olympic Team Rankings. Nikolai Novosjolov, who competed at his fourth Olympics, secured a spot in the men's épée as one of the two highest-ranking fencers coming from the Europe zone outside the world's top eight qualifying teams in the FIE Adjusted Official Rankings.
AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankNikolai NovosjolovMen's épéeW 12–10W 15–12L 9–15Did not advanceJulia BeljajevaWomen's épéeL 11–15Did not advanceIrina EmbrichW 15–3L 12–15Did not advanceErika KirpuW 5–4L 11–15Did not advanceJulia BeljajevaIrina EmbrichErika KirpuKristina KuuskWomen's team épéecolspan=2 W 27–26L 36–45L 31–374
Judo
Estonia qualified one judoka for the men's half-heavyweight category (100 kg) at the Games. Grigori Minaškin earned a continental quota spot from the European region as the highest-ranked Estonian judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of 30 May 2016.
AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankGrigori MinaškinMen's −100 kgL 000–000 Did not advance
Rowing
Estonia qualified one boat in the men's quadruple sculls for the Olympics at the 2015 FISA World Championships in Lac d'Aiguebelette, France.
AthleteEventHeatsRepechageFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTõnu EndreksonAndrei JämsäAllar RajaKaspar TaimsooMen's quadruple sculls5:51.711 FAcolspan=2 6:10.65 Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Sailing
Estonian sailors qualified one boat in each of the following classes through the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, the individual fleet Worlds, and European qualifying regattas. The women's 49erFX crew was added to the Estonia's sailing line-up, as the nation has received a spare Olympic berth freed up by Australia, Croatia and Austria from the International Sailing Federation.
AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank123456789101112M*Karl-Martin RammoMen's Laser24191744302836825colspan=2 EL16921Deniss KarpakMen's Finn514172023101381821colspan=2 EL12620Ingrid PuustaWomen's RS:X181312108119187171414EL13311Anna Maria SeppKätlin TammisteWomen's 49erFX151719201718161819201817EL19419 M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race
Shooting
Estonia received an invitation from ISSF to send European Games finalist Peeter Olesk in both men's air and rapid fire pistol to the Olympics, as long as the minimum qualifying score (MQS) was fulfilled by 31 March 2016.
AthleteEventQualificationFinalPointsRankPointsRankPeeter OleskMen's 25 m rapid fire pistol55325Did not advance Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)
Swimming
Estonia received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankMartin AllikveeMen's 200 m breaststroke2:13.6633Did not advanceMaria RomanjukWomen's 100 m breaststroke1:09.4930Did not advance
Triathlon
Estonia entered one triathlete to compete at the Games, signifying the nation's Olympic comeback to the sport after an eight-year hiatus. Kaidi Kivioja was selected as the highest-ranked triathlete from Europe in the women's event based on the ITU Points List.
AthleteEventSwim (1.5 km)Trans 1Bike (40 km)Trans 2Run (10 km)Total TimeRankKaidi KiviojaWomen's20:070:561:05:530:3938:052:05:4244
Weightlifting
Estonia qualified one male weightlifter for the Olympics by virtue of his top 15 individual finish, among those who had not secured any quota places through the World or European Championships, in the IWF World Rankings as of 20 June 2016, signifying the nation's Olympic return to the sport for the first time since 1936. The place was awarded to Mart Seim in the men's super heavyweight division (+105 kg).
AthleteEventSnatchClean & jerkTotalRankResultRankResultRankMart SeimMen's +105 kg1871324334307
Wrestling
Estonia qualified three wrestlers for each the following weight classes into the Olympic tournament. One of them had claimed an Olympic spot in the women's freestyle 75 kg at the 2015 World Championships, while two more Olympic berths were awarded to Estonian wrestlers, who progressed to the top two finals each in men's Greco-Roman 98 & 130 kg at the 2016 European Qualification Tournament.
Men's Greco-Roman AthleteEventQualificationRound of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankArdo Arusaar−98 kgL 0−6Did not advance16Heiki Nabi−130 kgL 0−3Did not advanceW 3−0L 0−65
Women's freestyle AthleteEventQualificationRound of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankEpp Mäe−75 kgL 4−6Did not advance13
References
External links