Sole Cypriot Oly medalist Kontides sets sail for Rio

Face on a stamp

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, July 24, (AFP): Pavlos Kontides tightened the zip of his wetsuit with hands dried and calloused by rope and sea salt. It is part of a ritual that takes the only Cypriot Olympic medal winner 30 minutes as he gets his Laser dinghy ready for the Mediterranean winds.

It is part of a ritual the 26-yearold Kontides has become obsessed with as he seeks to upgrade his silver medal from London 2012 to a gold in Rio.

He spends his time between sailing competitions perfecting his technique in the waters off Limassol, his home town on the south coast of Cyprus.

The athlete is in his element leaning his 1.8-metre (six-foot) frame out from the hull of his Laser as it skims across the foam.

Kontides began sailing at the age of nine. He likens the discipline needed to master the arts of tacking and reading the wind to riding a bike and playing chess at the same time.

“When you are out there, you have

Cypriot sailor and Olympics medallist Pavlos Kontides trains on his Laser Standard boat near the coastal city of

Limassol on May 24. (AFP)

freedom, you just switch off from the world and you’re by yourself, against the water and against your opponent,” he said.

It was on August 6, 2012 that Kontides reached the summit of his career so far, winning a silver medal in the men’s Laser race near Weymouth on the south coast of England.

“I have those pictures and those memories in the back of my head,” he said. “I can see the Cypriot flag waving in the wind, the sunlight... everything was in slow motion,” he added.

“It made me feel so special, it was something that is very hard to describe with words.”

Kontides became an overnight celebrity in his nation of 800,000 people, where world-class athletes are rare.

Advertising companies fought over his image and Cyprus has even issued a postage stamp bearing his face.

“People can recognise me now, when they see me on the street they sometimes stop me to have a picture with me or an autograph, and that’s something that really motivates me.”

With backing from his family and an handful of corporate sponsors, he will head to the Rio Olympics as part of a small team of Cypriot athletes with everything to play for.