Carlo Borlenghi

The elite of the elite

Anorak time: We list at the greatest Olympians in history and look at the new contenders

Friday July 25th 2008, Author: James Boyd, Location: United Kingdom
Pos Sailor Nat Gold Score Silver Score Bronze Score Medals Tot
1 Paul Elvstrom  DAN 4: Firefly/London 1948, Finn/Helsinki 1952, Melbourne-Stockholm 1956, Rome 1960 12 0 0 0 4 12
2 Jochen Schuemann GER 3: Finn/Montreal 1976, Soling/Seoul 1988 - Atlanta 1996 9 1: Soling/Sydney 2000 2 0 4 11
Valentyn Mankin USSR 3: Finn/Mexico 1976, Tempest/Munich 1972, Star/Moscow 1980 9 1: Tempest/Montreal 1976 2 0 4 11
4 Torben Grael BRA 2: Star/Atlanta 1996, Star Athens 2004 6 1: Soling//Los Angeles 1984 2 2: Star/Seoul 1988, Sydney 2000 2 5 10
5 Ben Ainslie GBR 2: Finn 2004, Laser/Sydney 2000 6 1: Laser/Atlanta 1996 2 0 3 8
Magnus Konow NOR 2: 12m/Stockholm 1912, 8m/Antwerp 1920 6 1: 6m Berlin 1936 2 0 3 8
Mark Reynolds USA 2: Star/Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000 6 1: Star/Seoul 1988 2 0 3 8
Poul Hog Jensen DAN 2: Soling/Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 6 1: Dragon/Mexico 1968 2 0 3 8
Robert Scheidt BRA 2: Laser, 1996 and 2004 6 1: Laser/Sydney 2000 2 0 3 8
Rodney Pattisson GBR 2: Flying Dutchman/Mexico 1968, Munich 1972 6 1: Flying Dutchman/Montreal 1976 2 0 3 8
11 Jesper Bank DAN 2: Soling/Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000,  6 0 1: Soling/Seoul 1988 1 3 7
Léon Huybrechts BEL 1: Olympic Class One Design/Paris 1924 3 2: 6m/London 1908, Antwerp 1920 4 0 3 7
Marcela Ferreira BRA 2: Star/Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004 6 0 1: Star/Sydney 2000 1 3 7
Paul Foerster USA 1: 470 Athens 3 2: Flying Dutchman/Barcelona 1992, 470 Sydney 2000 4 0 3 7
15 Barbara Kendall NZ 1: Lechner board/Barcelona 1992 3 1: Mistral/Atlanta 1996 2 1: Mistral/Sydney 2000 1 3 6
Ole Berntsen DAN 1: Dragon/Tokyo 1964 3 1: Dragon/Melbourne/Stockholm 1956 2 1: Dragon/London 1948 1 3 6
Andreas Brecke NOR 2: 8m/Stockholm 1912, 6m/Antwerp 1920 6 0 0 2 6
Bernd Jakel GER 2: Soling/Seoul 1988, Atlantic 1996 6 0 0 2 6
Erik Hansen DAN 2: Soling/Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 6 0 0 2 6
Haakon Barfod NOR 2: Dragon/London 1948, Helsinki 1952 6 0 0 2 6
Herman Whiton USA 2: 6m/London 1948, Helsinki 1952 6 0 0 2 6
Ingar Nielsen NOR 2: 10m/Antwerp 1920, 8m/Paris 1924 6 0 0 2 6
Johan Anker NOR 2: 12m Stockholm 1912, 6m Amsterdam 1928 6 0 0 2 6
Linton Hope FRA 2: 0.5-1 tonner and Open class/Paris 1900 6 0 0 2 6
Lord Currie FRA 2: 0.5-1 tonner and Open class/Paris 1900 6 0 0 2 6
Luis Doreste SPA 2: 470 men/Los Angeles 1984, Flying Dutchman Barcelona 1992 6 0 0 2 6
Nicolas Henard FRA 2: Tornado/Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 6 0 0 2 6
Shirley Robertson GBR 2: Yngling 2004, Europe 2000 6 0 0 2 6
Sigve Lie NOR 2: Dragon/London 1948, Helsinki 1952 6 0 0 2 6
Theresa Zabell SPA 2: 470/Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 6 0 0 2 6
Thomas Flach GER 2: Soling/Seoul 1988, Atlantic 1996 6 0 0 2 6
Thor Thorvaldsen NOR 2: Dragon/London 1948, Helsinki 1952 6 0 0 2 6
Valdemar Bandolowski DAN 2: Soling/Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 6 0 0 2 6
Hans Peter Steinacher AUT 2: Tornado 2004/2000 6 0 0 2 6
Roman Hagara AUT 2: Tornado 2004/2000 6 0 0 2 6
36 Alessandra Sensini ITA 1: Mistral/Sydney 2000 3 0 2: Mistral 1996, 2004 2 3 5
Carlos Espinola ARG 0 2: Mistral/Atlantic 1996, Sydney 2000 4 1: Tornado 2004 1 3 5
Kevin Burnham USA 1: 470 Athens 2004 3 1: 470 1992 2 0 3 5
Agostino Straulino ITA 1: Star/Helsinki 1952 3 1: Star/Melbourne-Stockholm 1956 2 0 2 5
Carl Hellstrom SWE 1: 10m/Stockholm 1912 3 1: 8m/London 1908 2 0 2 5
Christian von Bulow DAN 1: Dragon/Tokyo 1964 3 1: Dragon/Melbourne/Stockholm 1956 2 0 2 5
Christopher Timms NZL 1: Tornado/Los Angeles 1984 3 1: Tornado/Seoul 1988 2 0 2 5
Eric Wallerius SWE 1: 10m/Stockholm 1912 3 1: 8m/London 1908 2 0 2 5
Folke Bohlin SWE 1: Dragon/Melbourne-Stockholm 1956 3 1: Dragon/London 1948 2 0 2 5
Hal Hanel USA 1: Star 1992 3 1: Star 1988 2 0 2 5
Harold Haenel USA 1: Star/Barcelona 1992 3 1: Star/Seoul 1988 2 0 2 5
Lars Thorn SWE 1: 5.5m/Melbourne-Stockhom 1956 3 1: 5.5m/Tokyo 1964 2 0 2 5
Nicolo Rode ITA 1: Star/Helsinki 1952 3 1: Star/Melbourne-Stockholm 1956 2 0 2 5
Nikolaos Kaklamanakis GRE 1: Mistral 1996 3 1: Mistral 2004 2 0 2 5
Peder Lunde Jr NOR 1: Flying Dutchman/Rome 1960 3 1: Star/Mexico 1968 2 0 2 5
Peter Barrett USA 1: Star/Mexico 1968 3 1: Finn/Tokyo 1964 2 0 2 5
Rex Sellers NZL 1: Tornado/Los Angeles 1984 3 1: Tornado/Seoul 1988 2 0 2 5
Rod Davis NZL 1: Soling/Los Angeles 1984 3 1: Star/Barcelona 1992 2 0 2 5
Sture Stork SWE 1: 5.5m/Melbourne-Stockhom 1956 3 1: 5.5m/Tokyo 1964 2 0 2 5
55 Adriaan Maas NED 0 1: Olympic class OC/Los Angeles 1932 2 2: Star/Berlin 1936, London 1948 2 3 4
Lars Grael BRA 0 0 2: Tornado/Seoul 1988, Atlantic 1996 2 2 2
Martin Hindorff SWE 1: 6m/Los Angeles 1932 3 0 2: 6m/Berlin 1936, London 1948 1 3 4
Ruslana Taran UKR 0 1: Yngling 2004 2 2: 470 1996, 2000 2 3 4
Anthony Kendall NZL 1: Div 2 board/Seoul 1988 3 0 1: Windglider board/Los Angeles 1984 1 2 4
Bruce Kendall NZL 1: Lechner 1988 3 0 1: Windglider 1984 1 2 4
Christian Dick NOR 0 2: 7m and 8m/Antwerp 1920 4 0 2 4
Durward Knowles BAH 1: Star/Tokyo 1964 3 0 1: Star/Melbourne-Stockholm 1956 1 2 4
Harry Melges USA 1: Soling/Munich 1972 3 0 1: Flying Dutchman/Tokyo 1964 1 2 4
Henrik Robert DEN 0 2: Olympic OD/Paris 1924, 12ft dinghy/Amsterdam 1928 4 0 2 4
Hubert Raudaschl AUS 0 2: Finn/Mexico 1968, Star/Moscow 1980 4 0 2 4
Ian Walker GBR 0 0 2: 470/Atlanta 1996, Star/Sydney 2000 4 0 2 4
Johann Faye NOR 0 2: 7m and 8m/Antwerp 1920 4 0 2 4
John Anderson AUS 1: Star/Munich 1972 3 0 1: Tornado/Los Angeles 1984 1 2 4
Jonathan McKee USA 1: Flying Dutchman/Los Angeles 1984 3 0 1: 49er/Sydney 1 2 4
Lauritz Schmidt NOR 0 2: 8m/Antwerp 1920, Berlin 1936 4 0 2 4
Lowell North USA 1: Star/Mexico 1968 3 0 1: Dragon/Tokyo 1964 1 2 4
Luc Pillot FRA 1: 470/Seoul 1988 3 0 1: 470/Los Angeles 1984 1 2 4
Margriet Matthijsse NED 0 2: Europe/Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 4 0 2 4
Mateusz Kusznierewicz POL 1: Finn 1996 3 0 1: Finn 2004 1 2 4
Niels Nielsen NOR 0 2: 7m and 8m/Antwerp 1920 4 0 2 4
Randy Smyth USA 0 0 2: Tornado/Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992 4 0 2 4
Steen Secher DEN 1: Soling 1992 3 0 1: Soling 1988 1 2 4
Sten Abel NOR 0 2: 7m and 8m/Antwerp 1920 4 0 2 4
Thierry Peponnet FRA 1: 470/Seoul 1988 3 0 1: 470/Los Angeles 1984 1 2 4
Vilhelm Vett DEN 0 0 2: 6m/Paris 1924/Amsterdam 1928 4 0 2 4
Wilhelm Kuhweide GER 1: Finn/Tokyo 1964 3 0 1: Star/Munich 1972 1 2 4
William Bentsen USA 1: Soling/Munich 1972 3 0 1: Flying Dutchman/Tokyo 1964 1 2 4
Jorgen Bojsen Moller DEN 1: Flying Dutchman 1988 3 0 1: Flying Dutchman 1992 1 2 4
Gal Fridman ISR 1: Mistral 2004 3 0 1: Mistral 1996 1 2 4
Natalia Via Dufresne ESP 0 2: Europe 1992, 470 2004 4 0 2 4
84 Andre Nelis BEL 0 0 1: Finn/Melbourne-Sweden 1956 2 1: Finn/Rome 1960 1 2 3
Andrei Balashov USR 0 0 1: Finn/Montreal 1976 2 1: Finn/Moscow 1980 1 2 3
Erik Sandberg SWE 0 0 1: 8m/London 1908 2 1: 6m/Stockholm /1912 1 2 3
Hans Marius Fogh DEN 0 0 1: Flying Dutchman/Rome 1960 2 1: Soling/Los Angeles 1984 1 2 3
Henri Weewauters BEL 0 0 1: 6m/London 1908 2 1: 8m/Antwerp 1920 1 2 3
JJ Isler USA 0 0 1: 470/Sydney 2000 2 1: 470/Barcelona 1992 1 2 3
John Forbes AUS 0 0 1: Tornado/Sydney 2000 2 1: Tornado/Barcelona 1992 1 2 3
Karl-Heinz Thun GER 0 0 1: Dragon/Munich 1972 2 1: Dragon/Mexico 1968 1 2 3
Konrad Weichert GER 0 0 1: Dragon/Munich 1972 2 1: Dragon/Mexico 1968 1 2 3
Michael Gebhardt USA 0 0 1: Lechner/Barcelona 1992 2 1: Div2 board/Seoul 1988 1 2 3
Mitch Booth AUS 0 0 1: Tornado/Atlantic 1996 2 1: Tornado/Barcelona 1992 1 2 3
Paul Borowski GER 0 0 1: Dragon/Munich 1972 2 1: Dragon/Mexico 1968 1 2 3
Pelle Petterson SWE 0 0 1: Star/Munich 1972 2 1: Star/Tokyo 1953 1 2 3
Peter Naumann GER 0 0 1: Flying Dutchman/Mexico 1968 2 1: Flying Dutchman/Munich 1972 1 2 3
Simon Hiscocks GBR 0 1: 49er 2000 2 1: 49er 2004 1 2 3
Ullrich Libor GER 0 0 1: Flying Dutchman/Mexico 1968 2 1: Flying Dutchman/Munich 1972 1 2 3
William Berntsen DEN 0 0 1: 5.5m/Rome 1960 2 1: Dragon/London 1948 1 2 3
Ross MacDonald CAN 0 1: Star 2004 2 1: Star 1992 1 2 3
Tonu Toniste EST 0 1: 470 1988 2 1: 470 1992 1 2 3
Toomas Toniste EST 0 1: 470 1988 2 1: 470 1992 1 2 3
 
With the long rich history of the Olympic Games one might imagine that there would be few capable of toppling the incredible performances by the top Olympics sailors of all time.

For years Paul Elvstrom's unparelled record of four Olympic gold medals - in first the Firefly and then at three more successive Games in the Finn - has remained unbeaten.

Several have come close. During the 1960s and 70s, the Ukraine's remarkable Valentyn Mankin won gold in three different classes - the Finn, Tempest and Star - the only sailor in Olympic history to have achieved this feat to date. But Mankin ranks alongside another legend from the former USSR, the more contemporary figure of Jochen Schuemann, who started out with his first gold in the Finn before moving on to the Soling. For unlike Elvstrom both Mankin and Schuemann have silver medals in addition to their three golds.

In pure numbers of medals, Torben Grael has outstripped all three. Following his Gold at Athens in the Star the Brazilian became the first person in Olympic sailing history to hold five medals. But within his tally, Grael - who has always sailed keelboats in the Games, starting out with the Soling before moving on to the Star - has two lowly bronze medals to his name. Scoring gold in Athens launched Grael into fourth place in our ranking of greatest ever Olympic sailors. However with his new found duties at Ericsson Racing Team, Grael has been unable to squeeze in another Olympic campaign this year.

With Grael out of the frame on this occasion, there is a good possibility that his record as Brazil's most successful Olympic sailor could be toppled. Few would debate that the two great names in Olympic sailing at present are his fellow countryman Robert Scheidt and Britain's Ben Ainslie, both with two golds and one silver to their names at present.

It is well documented in Olympic annuals how both Ainslie and Scheidt cut their teeth in in the Laser class, Scheidt taking gold to Ainslie's silver in Savannah, the tables turned following 'that amazing race' between the two in Sydney. For Athens the duo parted company with Scheidt staying in the Laser and comfortably winning (finishing on 55 points in 11 races) while Ainslie graduated up into the Finn putting in an even more impressive performance, taking Gold with just 38 points in 11 races, including having to discard an unfortunate DSQ in the second race (albeit in a smaller fleet).

This time around Ainslie is surefire favourite to win gold again in the Finn, while Scheidt has finally got out of the Laser and into the Star, where his chances are less certain. Certainly his form suggests he is likely to be on the podium, having last year won the test event in Qingdao and the World Championship in Cascais. However while he has been doing well in the Star, Scheidt has not been showing the relentless and unprecidented winning streak Ainslie has produced over the last few years in the Finn.

Should both Ainslie and Scheidt get gold in their respective classes in Qingdao, then it will put them on to the same level as Valentyn Mankin and Jochen Schuemann in our ranking. And if they repeat this again in Weymouth in 2012, then they will have outstripped even the great Elvstrom. However with Ainslie contemplating a move into the Star for 2012 - assuming there is time to shoehorn this in around his America's Cup responsibilities - it is possible we shall see a return to the old days with Ainslie and Scheidt at each others throats on the race course yet again.



Aside from Ainslie and Scheidt a few other multiple medallists will be competing in Qingdao. Kiwi sailboard guru Barbara Kendall returns following her Gold in 1992, silver in 1996 and bronze in 2000 (not what you might call a promising trend...) In the Tornado Austrians Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher are back to see if they can achieve a third consecutive gold in the Olympic cat. But the most unique tale is that of Argentian Tornado crewman Carlos Espinola who with Santiago Lange won bronze in Athens, but previously was a double silver medallist (1996/2000) on the Mistral sailboard.

Other past medallists returning this year are Europe Gold medallist from Athens, Norway's Siren Sundby, now with her Yngling team, a move that Czech Europe Europe silver medallist from Athens has also made as has Greek 470 gold medallist from Athens, Sofia Bekatorou. Natalia Via Dufresne, the Spanish 470 women's silver medallst in Athens (and a silver medallist in the Europe in 1992) has remained in the 470 but returns with a new crew in Laia Tutzo, while the Swedish Athens bronze medallists Therese Torgersson and Vendela Zachrisson are also back for another stab.

In the Laser two of the three Athens podium finishers will be at this year's Games: Austrian silver medallist Andreas Geritzer as well as Croatia's Vasillj Zbogar who scored bronze.

In the 470 Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, Athens silver medallists are hoping to go one better this time around, particularly with the winners from Athens, the US's seasoned duo Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham, not competing. While in the Star for the most part new blood is coming in with no Torben Grael and Marcel Ferreira to defend their title and Athens silver medallist Ross MacDonald busy calling the shots on the Bribon TP52. Of the Athens medallists only French duo Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau return.

The absense of British double gold medallist Shirley Robertson will be a sad loss from this Games, however her Athens gold winning crew in the Yngling, Sarahs Ayton and Webb return with their new team. Sadly Rulana Taran and Dorte Jensen's team from Ukrainian and Denmark who picked up the silver and bronze in Athens are also no shows in Qingdao.

Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez are back to defend their title in the 49er class and the Ukraine's Rodion Luka and Georgiy Leonchuk return to see if they can improve on their silver from Athens.

The Tornado, in its last year as an Olympic class, is the only one of the 'boats' among the Olympic sailing events, to see all of its Athens medallist coming back for a last crack: In addition to Hagara and Steinacher, Americans John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree and the Argentinian duo Santiago Lange and Carlos Espinola will also be on the start line.

Among the RS:X sailboarders - Athens silver and bronze medallists Nikolaos Kaklamanakis and Skandia Team GBR's Nick Dempsey return, while in the women's class all the Athens medallists are back - France's Faustine Merret and China's own Yin Jian and Italian Alessandra Sensini (also the Gold medallist from Sydney).

Above is the list of all the top Olympic sailors while this list is of medalist is continued on page two... Scoring is based on Gold = 3, silver = 2, bronze = 1.
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