Cypriot dinghy sailor Pavlos Kontides won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris on Wednesday, August 7.
Kontides finished second in the medal race in the French city of Marseille, behind Australian Matt Wearn. Stefano Peschiera of Peru won the bronze medal.
Kontides’ silver medal is the second of his career, having achieved the same feat in the British town of Weymouth at the 2012 Olympics in London.
This year’s Olympic dinghy racing has been plagued by delays, with low winds in and off the coast of Marseille causing constant delays to the competition.
“Thank you to all of Cyprus for the love and the energy,” Kontides said after his race. “The feelings are fantastic. I shed tears of joy with my coach, my wife, and my child.”
Celebrating Kontides’ triumph, the Cyprus Olympic Committee (COC) pointed out that he is only the sixth athlete in the history of his discipline to win multiple Olympic medals.
Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides was among the first to congratulate Kontides on his triumph, saying “today is a historic day for our country and its sports.”
The silver medal moves Cyprus up to 63rd place in the 2024 Olympic medal table. Cyprus now sits above much larger countries in the table such as India, Austria, Egypt, Indonesia, and Iran.
Source: Cyprus Mail.
