2016 Rio Olympic Games - Dempsey’s pride at history making silver

by Imogen Stanley on 15 Aug 2016 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games - Nick Dempsey admitted his pride after becoming the most decorated Olympic male windsurfer of all time by winning Rio 2016 silver today (Sunday 14 August).

The medal is five-time Olympian Dempsey’s second consecutive Olympic silver, having also finished second at London 2012, and his third Games medal in total having first been on the podium at Athens 2004.

Dempsey went into today’s double points Medal Race knowing that, providing he successfully competed in the race, he couldn’t be knocked off the second podium post, but was unable to overtake Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED) for gold.

And a fourth in the race, which was won by van Rijsselberghe, confirmed Dempsey’s silver medal and status as the most decorated Olympic male windsurfer ever.

As he crossed the line a puff of the cheeks, a smile from ear to ear and an elevated clench of the fist said it all, and straight after the race Dempsey’s coach, Dom Tidey, said even though his charge had had a couple of days to think about what he had achieved it hadn’t sunk in and suggested he would try to convince him to go again.

The 36-year-old Dempsey, who made his Olympic debut at Sydney 2000, revealed he won’t yet rule out a sixth Games bid but admits it is unlikely.

Dempsey said: “Being the most decorated male Olympic windsurfer is awesome, something I’m incredibly proud of. I have been working for a long time, and it’s very hard to say at the top for that long. I’m not sure I can do it again. I would love to if I could. It will be emotional as soon as I sit down in a quiet space on my own.

“I love windsurfing, I love racing, I think I am occasionally a bit competitive and I just don’t like losing. If you’re going to carry on doing it, you have to be winning or at least in contention. I love the Olympics, I think it is the best thing in the world everything that it stands for, I think, is pretty special.

“When I spoke to my boys, they already knew. Oscar wasn't fussed and Thomas said 'it's okay daddy, you have two silvers now, which is the same as one gold'. In his eyes, it's okay which is cool. They're both windsurfing. They just love the water.”

Following an hour and a half postponement waiting for the wind to swing round and fill in, the Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf) delivered arguably the most perfect conditions experienced on that course all week.

After coming off the start line hardest to the pin end Dempsey and van Rijsselberghe, flew out far to the left hand side of the course with the Dutchman rounding the first mark in second and the Brit in fourth.

With the battle for the bronze medal unfolding behind them, van Rijsselberghe started to turn on jet burners that had already seen him win seven opening series races and he powered to the front midway through, before, with the breeze dying, crossing the line to clinch his eighth race win out of 13 with Dempsey in fourth.

Dempsey added: “I set out trying really hard to win the race and I had a lovely start but I made one little error and it became a bit of a procession and a cruise around. I enjoyed it, it was fantastic racing out there, it was good conditions and hopefully made the sport look good on TV.

“I couldn’t do a victory lap, I was sailing downwind and there was quite a big gap and the wind was starting to drop out and I could see them catching me up behind and I just couldn’t cruise. I was a little bit frustrated I didn’t win.

“The team is still racing so I am in support mode now. We're a team, people are still working hard and it’s an important phase at the moment for our team as people are trying to win medals. It's important that we stick together.'