Spain's Olympic gold-medal winning sailor Fernando Echavarri said he was fortunate to have escaped with his life after being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro as he and two fellow Spaniards walked to breakfast.

"We were a bit naive, a bit too daring and we are lucky to have survived," Echavarri told The Associated Press as he trained on Monday at Rio's Olympic sailing venue. "We were too confident, and being confident in Rio is not a good thing."

Echavarri and two other members of the Spanish sailing team were robbed Friday morning when five young men - "not more than 16 years old," Echavarri said - poked pistol barrels into the Spaniards' ribs and chests.