Legendary Danish yachtsman Paul Elvstrøm has died in his sleep. The 88–year–old died at his birthplace in Hellerup surrounded by his family.
Elvstrøm, considered one of the greatest sailing athletes in the history of sailing, won four consecutive Olympic gold medals, beginning with the Firefly at 1948 London and then with the Finn at 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, and 1960 Rome.
Sailors competing at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final in Melbourne work to the sad news yesterday, thankful for the life of a man who was so influential in setting the tone for the sport of sailing. It was fitting that Elvstrom's fellow Olympians could talk about and remember the stories that defined his career at the same venue he won his third Olympic gold.
Compatriot Anne-Marie Rindom, a Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, said, "This morning I read his third medal was here in Melbourne and it got me thinking what was it like 60 years ago? It's a bit strange to be in the same place. It's so inspiring and it makes me feel like I want to do as a well as him.”
Tonci Stipanovic, Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist echoed Rindom's thoughts, "I never knew he won his third medal right here, so being told that makes me like this place even more, and I hope I can be just like him and a win a medal here at the World Cup Final. He was at the top for a long time and to win four Olympic medals with less technology at that time, it would have been even harder to achieve what he achieved.”
As a Danish sailor it was inevitable that Rindom would grow up influenced by Elvstrom. Even though she never met Elvstrom, his impact was felt across the nation he inspired.
"He's a member of the Hall of Fame in Denmark and he did so many things for sailing in the country,” explained Rindom. "Both from a competitive side of the sport and people saw him as a guy who could enjoy sailing for fun, as a summer holiday and activity.
"He was a great hero for Denmark and for the world of sailing. He inspired a lot of people. He won four gold medals and went to the Olympics eight times, that's impressive, but he was a great man and invented a lot of things for sailing that improved the sport.”
One of Elvstrom's inventions was the hiking strap, a piece of equipment that sailors use as an extension of their own body to improve performance. As a Laser Radial sailor, Rindom uses the piece of equipment extensively and when she realised it was Elvstrom's creation, her admiration for the man grew even more.
"When I started in the Optimist I was like, 'yeah the hiking strap is just another part of the boat' and I remember my coach said to me, 'you know Paul Elvstrom, he invented the hiking strap.' I was just starting in the Optimist and the hiking strap was there and I didn't think about where it came from. I thought 'that's amazing. What did they do before the hiking strap?'
"I remember at that time I came to think of him as a great man for the sport and a hero in my world.”
After being a reserve on the Danish team in 1964, Elvstrom then competed in 1968 (Star) and 1972 (Soling) without winning a medal. Elvstrøm also competed in 1984 and 1988 when his daughter, Trine, crewed for him in the Tornado, making them the only father/daughter combo to have competed together at the Olympics.
Trine and Paul Elvstrøm were European champions in the Tornado class in 1983-84. In total, Elvstrøm won 11 world championships in the 505 (2), Finn (2), Snipe (1), Flying Dutchman (1), 5.5 meter (1), Star (2), and Soling (2).
Elvstrøm is survived by four daughters, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.