Paul Elvstrom

 

 

   Click above image to view the Youtube video: ELVSTROM Paul – Denmark – Olympic.org

The Spirit of Sailing with Paul Elvstrøm

Click above image to view the film: "Sejlads / The Spirit of Sailing with Paul Elvstrom" 
 – Danish (better quality) or the English version

 

Paul Elvstrom, in full Paul Bert Elvstrom, (born February 25, 1928, Hellerup, Denmark – died December 7, 2016, Hellerup), Danish yachtsman who is considered the greatest sailor in Olympic history, dominating Finn-class sailing between 1948 and 1960. He won four consecutive gold medals in monotype (single-person) sailing – in the Firefly class in 1948 and thereafter in the new Finn class. He was the first Olympic athlete to take individual golds in four consecutive Games.

Elvstrom learned to sail when he received a small dinghy as a schoolboy. He was 20 years old when he first competed in international yachting at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. After five races, Elvstrom was in eighth place and trailed by more than 800 points, but he won the last two races to capture the gold medal. He pioneered the technique of leaning back over the water from the knees and revolutionized training for the sport.

Elvstrom handily won the gold medal at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, finishing almost 3,000 points ahead of the other competitors. He also had easy victories at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and the 1960 Games in Rome. During this time he established (1954) the company Elvström Dinghy Sails (now Elvstrom Sails) and later introduced a number of innovative products, notably a self-bailer and a life jacket designed for competitive sailing, both of which remained standard equipment in competition into the 21st century.

Elvstrom’s success and celebrity brought personal stress, and, as a result, he chose to attend the 1964 Games in Tokyo only as an observer. He returned to Olympic competition in 1968 but did not medal. At the 1972 Games in Munich, under the pressures of competition and his failing sail-making business, he suffered a nervous breakdown. Elvstrom returned to the Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles, where he sailed the Tornado catamaran with one of his daughters, Trine Elvstrom-Myralf, as crew. The pair also competed in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, his last appearance at the Games.

Elvstrom wrote a series of influential books on racing. In 1996 he was named Danish Sportsman of the Century, and in 2007 he was inducted into the inaugural class of the International Sailing Federation Hall of Fame.

Pip Pearson and Paul Elvstrom at the 505 World Championship in Adelaide 1966

Paul Elvstrom and Pip Pearson at the 5O5 Worlds in Adelaide / Australia 1966

Elvström's analytical ability was almost like a 'gift' recalls Pip Pearson, who crewed for Paul and would enjoy a lifelong friendship with him. It was uncanny how he could step straight into a boat and make it go and if he did make changes to the rig or a fitting, would know immediately if it was an improvement or not.

Although a successful Finn sailor, Paul loved the athleticism of the trapeze and suggested that the Olympics would best be served by the five classes being one person, two person, three, four and five person boats, with all the crew, in all the boats, being out on the wire. He backed his beliefs by competing in the 5O5 World Championships at Adelaide, helming from the wire whilst his crew Pip Pearson hiked out and worked the spinnaker. Larry Marks, who like Paul would win the 5O5 World Championship twice, recalled the event and the way Paul handled the boat from out on the wire. "He was like a tiger," said Larry, who went on to tell of a event that was notable for the strong winds and huge seas, yet Paul's boat was driven as hard as any of the other entrants.

Pip Pearson and Paul Elvstrom at the 505 World Championship in Adelaide 1966

Paul Elvstrom

Paul Elvstrom at the 5O5 Worlds in Enoshima, Japan 1985

 


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Uppdaterad 2024-05-13