Kontides wins Olympic silver for Cyprus

Cypriot dinghy sailor Pavlos Kontides won a silver medal at the Olympic games on Wednesday, finishing second in the medal race in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille to secure his overall second place behind Australian Matt Wearn.

Wearn’s win in the medal race ensured he would win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, having won the same event in Japan in 2021. Kontides’ silver medal is the second of his career, having achieved the same feat in the British town of Weymouth at the 2012 games.

Stefano Peschiera of Peru won the bronze medal.

Kontides had initially received a stroke of luck when the medal race was initially abandoned due to a lack of wind just as any chance of a medal seemed to be slipping from his grasp.

He had been penalised for an infringement at the start of the ninth and final race of the event and, after starting the day in an overall second place, looked set to forfeit his silver medal to Great Britain’s Michael Beckett.

Peschiera was the only other person who could deprive Kontides of a place on the podium and also looked to be on the verge of doing so.

However, the elements stepped in to save Kontides’ bacon, with the wind dropping enough to see the race abandoned.

This year’s Olympic dinghy racing has been plagued by delays, with low winds in and off the coast of Marseille, the Mediterranean French city where the event is being held, causing constant delays to the competition.