Proud Cypriot windsurfer qualifies for Olympics

Natasha Lappa has secured a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics, representing Cyprus in women’s windsurfing.

The 22-year-old, who trains with the Limassol Nautical Club, qualified after the withdrawal of a competitor from Switzerland. As the top finisher at the Last Chance Regatta in April 2023, Lappa was next in line for an Olympic spot.

This will be Lappa’s second time competing among the world’s best windsurfers. The veteran Olympian previously competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where she placed 21st in the RS:X windsurfing competition. In Paris, this event will be replaced by iQFOiL: a format of windsurfing where the board appears to hover in the air rather than float in the water.

Heading to Paris, Lappa is ranked 44th in the world by the World Sailing Federation.

She says that the road to qualification came with “a lot of difficulties.” After the Tokyo Olympics, which she describes as “a bit like prison” due to COVID regulations, she worked through three years of ups and downs.

Qualifying for the Olympics was a long-awaited reward to years of hard work. When the news broke, Lappa reported that she was speechless at first, and then was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement.

“It went pretty well,” she said about her bid for the Olympics. “Especially at the end with the qualification, where we did well.”

Looking ahead, the Cypriot has set her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where she hopes to win a medal. After competing in Italy this October, Lappa plans to immediately start preparations for the next Olympics.

But for now, her focus is on representing Cyprus with pride at the Paris Olympics.

“I will do my best to honour Cyprus, our flag, and our island at the 2024 Olympic Games,” she said.