Newsroom / CNA
Pavlos Kontides, the Cypriot sailor, emerged victorious with a gold medal at the North Sea Regatta 2023 held in Scheveningen from 26th to 28th May, the same venue where the World Sailing Championships will be hosted in August.
In an official statement, it was announced that Kontides secured the gold medal by achieving three first-place finishes, along with two second-place and one third-place finishes. Additionally, he had a 4th and a 5th place, while his 8th and 11th place finishes were excluded from the final standings.
The sailing races commenced on Friday, 26th May, and concluded on Sunday, 28th May. With a total of 19 penalty points, the 33-year-old sailor outperformed Ireland's F. Lynch, who secured the second position with 25 points, and Hungary's J. Vadnai, who claimed the third spot with 34 points. Unfortunately, Croatian sailor T. Stipanovic, who is part of the same training team as Pavlos Kontides, missed a place on the podium due to a penalty point (35 points).
Reflecting on his accomplishment, Kontides stated, "It was a challenging race, and I am extremely delighted and satisfied to have won the gold medal, even though it was more of a training race." He further expressed his excitement about the valuable insights he gained for the upcoming World Championships, which will also serve as the first qualification event for the Olympic Games.
Kontides will be staying in the Netherlands until the end of the week before returning at the end of July for final preparations ahead of the World Championships scheduled from 8th to 20th August.
