Santiago Lange is a sailboat racer who has competed for Argentina.
He competed at the 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Lange started his Olympic career in Seoul 1988. There, he landed on the ninth spot with Pedro Ferrero and Raúl Lena in the Soling class, amassing 82 net points. When the Laser class was added to the Olympic program eight years later in Atlanta, he was favored for an Olympic medal but he ended the eleven-leg course in ninth with a net score of 79.
Lange would switch to the multihull boat at his next Olympiad in 2000, but he and his partner Mariano Parada struggled to chase the world's top sailing crews to the front, placing tenth overall. Dissatisfied with an outcome, he rebounded to pair up with Carlos Espinola for his fourth Games in 2004. The duo improved upon their feat from Sydney to score a bronze for Argentina and a first for Lange in the Tornado class with a net score of 54. Lange and Espinola continued their podium streak four years later in Beijing by adding another bronze in their pet race with 56 net points. When the multihull class was removed from the program for London 2012, Lange took a break from competitive sailing until he returned to the sport to prepare for Rio de Janeiro 2016.
At his sixth Games in 2016, Lange sailed with Cecilia Carranza Saroli in the first mixed multihull class, the Nacra 17. A penalty at the start put the duo to the back of the field, but they recovered and crossed the finish line in sixth ahead of the Italians. The three leading boats from Austria, Australia, and New Zealand occupied the top spots in the medal race, but neither of them was close enough to lead the field. Lange and Carranza survived with 77 points ahead to snatch the first gold for Argentina in sailing.
Lange managed to qualify for the same sailing class at Tokyo 2020, becoming the first Argentinian athlete to compete in seven straight editions. As the defending champions, he and Carranza were selected to carry the country's flag during the opening ceremony. The duo smoothly crossed the finish line first in the medal race ahead of their rivals to close out their Olympic career. Their scores from the earlier legs of the race course were not enough to defend the title, placing seventh overall.
He is the father of Rio de Janeiro 2016 sailors Klaus and Yago Lange.
Sailing 2020 • Mixed Nacra 17