Brazil Canoe Champion With 2 Pan-Am Golds Dies in Rio

The Quebra-Mar breakwater at the mouth of the Joatinga channel in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, seen from the air in 2017. (Photo: Diego Baravelli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

SPORT · BRAZIL

A Brazil canoe champion, Rie Luciana Nagasako, died on Friday 9 October after falling into the sea during a class she was teaching in Rio de Janeiro.

She fell from an outrigger canoe on Thursday 8 October near the Quebra-Mar breakwater in Barra da Tijuca, in the city’s south-west zone.

For American and other foreign visitors, it is a reminder that Rio’s open-sea beaches can turn dangerous quickly, even for experts on calm-looking water.

Nagasako won two gold medals at the Pan-American va’a championship on Easter Island in November 2025, according to the Rio dailies O Globo and O Dia.

What Happened at the Quebra-Mar

Nagasako was leading a class when the accident happened on Thursday morning, according to G1, the news site of TV Globo.

G1 reported that she was trying to guide her students to turn their canoes towards a safer spot. During the manoeuvre she lost her balance and fell into the water.

The current carried her out, and the Rio de Janeiro state fire service, the Corpo de Bombeiros, rescued her offshore, G1 said.

Because of her condition, she was lifted out by air and taken to Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital in Gávea, in Rio’s south zone, in a very critical state.

G1 and O Dia reported that Rio’s Municipal Health Department confirmed her death on Friday afternoon. O Globo said the hospital’s management confirmed it.

G1 put the rescue at about 7 a.m., while O Globo said the fire service was called at 8:23 a.m. The fire service had not published its own timeline by Saturday evening.

The walkway onto the Quebra-Mar in Barra da Tijuca, where the Joatinga channel meets the Atlantic, photographed in 2016. (Photo: VinnyWiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What Witnesses Have Said

O Globo cited accounts posted by witnesses on social media. They said the sea was rough as Nagasako tried to bring a two-person canoe ashore at Praia dos Amores.

According to those accounts, the canoe lost control, was damaged and began to sink. Nagasako was steering from the rear seat.

The same posts said her life jacket loosened in the force of the water. The authorities have not confirmed these details.

Nagasako knew the area well. In a 2025 interview with O Globo, she warned that silt at the mouth of the Joatinga channel made passage harder for canoes.

She also called for closer checks on motorboats around the beaches and lagoons, the paper said.

Who Was Rie Luciana Nagasako

Nagasako was a competitor and a coach. G1 and O Dia said she founded the Barra Va’a club and a community programme called Projeto Somar.

Va’a is the Tahitian name for the outrigger canoe. Crews of one, two, three or six paddlers race on the open sea, and the sport has a large following in Hawaii and Brazil.

At the Pan-American championship on Easter Island, a Chilean territory in the Pacific, she won the V6 Master and V3 Open events, O Globo and O Dia reported.

V6 Master is a six-paddler event for crews aged over 40. V3 Open is raced in three-seat canoes with no age limit.

G1, O Globo and O Dia said she had also won a bronze medal in the sprint category at the sport’s world championship.

O Globo said her competitive career began only in 2022. Without a sponsor, she raised money on social media to represent Brazil at the Pan-American event.

Her death prompted a wave of tributes from students and paddlers. The Brazilian Va’a Confederation mourned her, and on Saturday morning friends and family gathered at Praia dos Amores, where she taught, O Dia reported.

What It Means for You

Outrigger canoe and stand-up paddle classes are offered on several Rio beaches, and many visitors book them. Most outings end without incident, and instructors usually stay close to shore.

The death of a Brazil canoe champion in familiar waters shows that conditions near breakwaters and channel mouths can change within minutes.

Before going out, check the Brazilian Navy’s weather and swell warnings, which flag the strong swells Brazilians call ressaca. Ask the instructor how they will respond if someone falls in.

Make sure your life jacket is your size and fastened tightly. In an emergency, Brazil’s fire service answers on 193, and lifeguard posts line Barra’s beachfront.

For the day’s other news from the city, see our Rio de Janeiro Daily Brief for Saturday, October 10, 2026. For road safety this holiday weekend, read Brazil Highway Crash Kills 5 From One Family on BR-393.

What Is Not Known

No authority has published an official account of how the accident happened or what caused the canoe to fail.

It is not known whether the Brazilian Navy’s port authority, which oversees safety at sea, or the police have opened an inquiry.

The sea conditions on Thursday morning, the state of the canoe and the fit of Nagasako’s life jacket have not been confirmed. Her family has started an online fundraiser for the wake and cremation, for which no date or place had been set on Saturday, O Dia reported.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the Brazil canoe champion who died in Rio?

Rie Luciana Nagasako, a paddler and coach who founded the Barra Va’a club. She won two golds at the Pan-American va’a championship on Easter Island in November 2025.

How did Rie Luciana Nagasako die?

She fell into the sea on Thursday 8 October while teaching a class near the Quebra-Mar in Barra da Tijuca. Firefighters rescued her and she died in hospital on Friday 9 October.

Is it safe to take a canoe class in Rio de Janeiro?

Most classes pass without incident. Check Navy swell warnings, wear a life jacket that fits tightly, and ask the instructor about their safety plan before going out.

Sources: Rio Municipal Health Department and Miguel Couto hospital statements as reported by G1, O Globo and O Dia; Correio; Agenda do Poder; Brasil em Folhas.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error