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The University of Southampton
Engineering

Engineering alumnus sails against the best in the world

Published: 12 July 2015

Ship Science graduate and professional sailor Pavlos Kontides, who won silver at the London 2012 Olympics, has returned to Weymouth to compete against the best in the world.

Notes for editors

Pavlos reached the final of the Sailing World Cup in the Laser class, but missed out on a medal on the last day. He made history by becoming the first Cypriot athlete to claim an Olympic medal and is now aiming to go one better at Rio 2016.

“The best sporting moments of my life are obviously from Weymouth,” he explains. “Scoring two wins on the second day, holding the yellow jersey mid-way through and finally, glory for myself, my family, my team and my country’s first ever Olympic medal.

Studying Ship Science has helped him on the water: “I know far more about the technical side of boats and sailing after studying at Southampton and it can be a real advantage,” he adds.

Lecturers at Southampton were delighted when he won silver in 2012. “All of us in Ship Science congratulated Pavlos on his exceptional achievement,” said Dr Dominic Hudson. “He showed great maturity in suspending his studies after successful completion of the second year of his degree course in order to concentrate on training and competing in the run-up to the Olympics and we are all pleased that this hard work paid-off in the best possible manner.

“Ship Science is a small cohort of students, many of whom are keen sailors, so we are extremely proud to have an Olympic medallist in our ranks.”

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