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Pavlos Kontides

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Pavlos Kontides
Kontides at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Native name
Παύλος Κοντίδης
Nationality Cyprus
Born (1990-02-11) 11 February 1990 (age 36)
Limassol, Cyprus
EducationUniversity of Southampton
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight82 kg (181 lb)
Sailing career
SportSailing
Medal record
Men's Sailing
Representing  Cyprus
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2012 LondonLaser
Silver medal – second place2024 ParisLaser
Mediterranean Games
Silver medal – second place2018 TarragonaLaser
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2017 SplitLaser
Gold medal – first place2018 AarhusLaser
Silver medal – second place2013 Al MusannahLaser
Silver medal – second place2022 Puerto VallartaILCA 7
Silver medal – second place2025 QingdaoILCA 7
ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships
Gold medal – first place2007 KingstonLaser

Pavlos Kontides (Greek: Παύλος Κοντίδης, born 11 February 1990)[1] is a Cypriot sailor, who became the first and only athlete to win an Olympic medal while competing for Cyprus. He won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Laser event. Twelve years later at the 2024 Olympics, he won another silver medal in the ILCA 7 competition. In 2012, he won the Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards Sports Prize, and he was named World Sailor of the Year in 2018.

Kontides has won the ILCA 7 World Championship twice, in 2017 and 2018, the latter of which came at that year's ISAF Sailing World Championships.

Career

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Kontides won the Laser competition at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in 2007.[2] In the same year, he competed at the Laser World Championships in Cascais, Portugal, where he placed 62nd.[3] This position secured a place for Cyprus at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Laser competition. Kontides went on to compete in the Olympic event, in which he finished 13th.[4]

In early 2011, a year and a half before the 2012 Olympics in London, Kontides broke his right arm.[5] However, that same year he qualified for those Games, following the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in December 2011, where he placed tenth in the Laser.[6] At the 2012 Olympics, Kontides won Cyprus' first Olympic medal,[7] finishing second in his second Olympics.[8][9] Despite finishing ninth in the first race of the competition, by the end of day two Kontides was placed second behind eventual gold medal winner Tom Slingsby. Between races five and seven Kontides led the event but following this Slingsby won the final three races of the qualification series to allow the Australian to go on to win the gold, despite finishing ninth in the medal race.[10] Following his success at the Olympics that year, Kontides won the Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards Sports Prize.[11]

In 2013, Pavlos Kontides won his first Laser World Championship medal, finishing second to Brazilian Robert Scheidt.[12] The following year he secured qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics by finishing tenth at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships.[13] At the Olympics in 2016, Kontides finished seventh. He bore the Cypriot flag during the Parade of Nations in the Maracanã Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro.[14]

Between 2017 and 2018 Kontides won two consecutive Laser World Championships,[15][16] the latter at the 2018 Sailing World Championships.[17] Also in 2018, he was named Rolex World Sailor of the Year,[18][19][20] as well as Cyprus' Athlete of the Year for the fifth time.[21] His 2018 World Championship victory qualified Cyprus for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the Laser competition, where he would miss out on a medal, finishing fourth, three points behind bronze medalist Hermann Tomasgaard of Norway.[22] For the second consecutive Olympic Games, Kontides bore Cyprus' flag in the Parade of Nations.[23]

At the 2023 Sailing World Championships, Kontides finished sixth.[24] This result was enough to qualify him for his fifth consecutive Olympic Games. At the 2024 Olympics, Kontides finished second to Australian Matt Wearn. This was Cyprus' second ever medal at the Olympics.[25] In 2024, following success in that year's Games, he was named Cyprus' Athlete of the Year for the tenth time in twelve years.[26][27]

In 2025, Kontides publicly stated he intended to compete at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with the aim of winning Olympic gold and becoming Cyprus’ first Olympic champion.[28] At the Los Angeles Grand Slam, a test event at the Port of Los Angeles, Kontides finished second in the ILCA 7 competition.[29]

Personal life

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Kontides was born in Limassol, and he is a member of the Limassol Nautical Club.[1][30] His father is Dr Panayiotis Kontides, former chair of the Cyprus Sailing Federation.[31][32]

He studied ship science at the University of Southampton,[18][33][34] and got married in 2023 and has a son.[35][36]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Olympedia – Pavlos Kontides". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship" (PDF). 20 July 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "2007 ISAF Laser Standard Men's World Championship – Final Results". events.ilcasailing.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Olympedia – One-Person Dinghy (Laser), Men". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Argüelles, Agustín (7 April 2025). "Pavlos Kontides: Sailing with Purpose, Competing with Heart". ILCA Sailing. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "2011 ISAF Laser Standard Men's World Championship – Final Results". events.ilcasailing.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Bjedov, Nemanja (6 August 2012). "Proud Kontides hails 'incredible' silver". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "Olympedia – Cyprus (CYP)". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, Cyprus's first Olympic medal". BBC. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Olympedia – One-Person Dinghy (Laser), Men". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Dora Avgoulidou (12 October 2012). "Sports took center stage at the 11th Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards". peoplenews.gr. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "2013 Laser Standard Men's World Championship – Final Results". events.ilcasailing.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "2014 ISAF Laser Standard Men's World Championship – Final Results". events.ilcasailing.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". 16 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "2017 Laser Standard Men's World Championship – Final Results". events.ilcasailing.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "2018 Laser Standard Men's World Championship – Final Results". events.ilcasailing.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Chris (20 September 2017). "Pavlos Kontides Laser Class World Champion!". Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Southampton graduate named Rolex World Sailor of the Year | University of Southampton". www.southampton.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  19. ↑ laserclass (30 October 2018). "Pavlos Kontides Named 2018 World Sailor of the Year". ILCA Sailing. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  20. ↑ admin. "BIO - PAVLOS KONTIDES". PAVLOS KONTIDES OFFICIAL. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "World Sailing - Pavlos Kontides voted as Cyprus' Athlete of the Year for fifth time". World Sailing. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Olympedia – One-Person Dinghy (Laser), Men". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Οι 15 πρεσβευτές μας στην Ολυμπιάδα του Τόκιο". City (in Greek). Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Allianz Sailing World Championships, The Hague 2023 - Results Centre". Allianz Sailing World Championships, The Hague 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Pavlos Kontides wins silver for Cyprus at Paris Olympic Games". NEOS KOSMOS. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "World Sailing | Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Paris 2024 silver medallist Pavlos Kontides voted Cyprus' Best Athlete of the Year 2024 - his 10th win in 12 years". World Sailing | Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Media, Event (21 January 2025). "Paris 2024 silver medallist Pavlos Kontides voted Cyprus' Best Athlete of the Year - Sailweb". Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "Pavlos Kontides and the Invisible Game of Olympic Sailing". Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  29. ↑ Glacken, Meredith (27 July 2026). "Europeans Excel In Early Olympic Venue Test". Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Pavlos Kontides". Sailor Biography. ISAF. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  31. ↑ "History". cysaf.org. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  32. ↑ Kouroushi, Nicoletta (8 August 2024). "Father of double Olympic medalist Pavlos Kontides overjoyed with son's achievement". Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  33. ↑ "Kontides is a Medal Winner". The Cyprus Weekly - Showbiz. Phileleftheros. 5 August 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  34. ↑ "Kontides - CYP". Sailing - Olympic Classes - Laser. Marine Pool. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  35. ↑ "Pavlos - Happy Birthday to my other half, my wife, mother of our son, we are very blessed 🙏 🎊🥳❤️🥰 #PKFamily | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  36. ↑ Steliou, Stelios (10 September 2023). "Νυμφεύθηκε ο Παύλος Κοντίδης με τη Jelena Medjeri". PAVLOS KONTIDES OFFICIAL (in Greek). Retrieved 31 July 2026.
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