Hempel Sailing World Championship: Cyprus hero Kontides eyes fourth Olympics
by World Sailing 28 Jun 2018 03:35 PDT
30 July - 12 August 2018
Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell - World Cup Sailing - Hyeres © World Sailing
The name Pavlos Kontides will forever be written into the Olympic history books. The Laser sailor became Cyprus' first ever - and so far, only - Olympic medal winner at London 2012, where he took silver.
And the 28-year-old is looking to continue following his dream on the biggest stage by qualifying for Tokyo 2020, which will be his fourth consecutive Games.
Kontides is familiar with Aarhus, the venue of the Sailing World Championships, having sailed in tournaments there previously.
He won gold at the Youth World Championships at 2008, before competing at the Laser European Championships in 2015, so knows the waters well.
A gold medal at the 2016 World Cup Series Final in Melbourne, where he won four races throughout the week, only increased his stock.
And a strong 2017 showing stands him in good stead for a competitive performance this time around in Denmark.
Last year, he won the Laser World Championship in Croatia, as well as the World Cup Series Round 2 in Hyères.
Kontides also bagged two silver medals at two different World Cup Series - 2017's Round 1 in Miami, and 2018's Round 1 in Gamagori.
He will be one of the most experienced sailors in his fleet and he will be aiming to use that to his advantage.
And, with the support of his nation behind him, Kontides will look to inspire the next generation of Greek Cypriot sailors with success at Aarhus.
Find out more about the event at www.aarhus2018.com