Paul Elvstrøm
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Club | Hellerup Sejlklub, Gentofte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Paul Bert Elvstrøm (25 February 1928 – 7 December 2016) was a Danish
Early life
Paul Elvstrøm was born, north of Copenhagen, in a house overlooking the sound between Denmark and Sweden. His father was a sea captain but died when Elvstrøm was young, and he was brought up by his mother along with a brother and sister. A second brother drowned at the age of 5 when he fell off a seawall near the family home.[5]
Growing up along the Øresund, Elvstrøm quickly became consumed by sailing, which began with crewing in a club fleet of small clinker keelboats. He was soon given an Oslo dinghy by a neighbour who realised Elvstrøm's mother was too poor to be able to buy one.[5]
In his book Elvstrøm Speaks on Yacht Racing he claimed to be ‘word blind’ and could not read or write when he was at school,[5] which may have been due to dyslexia.[6] It is clear that Elvstrøm considered schooling a distraction from sailing: "I was very bad in school," he said, "The only interest I had was in sailing fast…The teacher knew that if I was not at school, I was sailing."[5]
After leaving school he became a member of the Hellerup Sailing Club, where he gained a reputation as an excellent sailer. He was funding himself during this period as a bricklayer, but in 1954 also started cutting sails for club members in his basement.[7]
Innovation
Elvstrøm was noted as a developer of sails and sailing equipment. One of his most successful innovations was a new type of self-bailer. The new features were a wedge shaped venturi that closes automatically if the boat grounds or hits an obstruction, and a flap that acts as a non return valve to minimise water coming in if the boat is stationary or moving too slowly for the device to work. Previous automatic bailers would be damaged or destroyed if they met an obstruction, and would let considerable amounts of water in if the boat was moving too slowly.[8]
The Elvstrøm self-bailer is still in production under the Andersen brand and has been widely copied; it is still found on Olympic boats, and other grand prix boats at the leading edge of the sport.[9] In 2016, Dan Ibsen, the executive director of the Royal Danish Yacht Club said, “Today the Elvstrøm Bailer is still the only functional bailer on Olympic dinghies and boats around the world.”[10]
Other innovations include the Elvstrøm Lifejacket, which was the first specifically designed and produced for active sailors.[9]
He also popularised the
Among the innovative concepts he brought to sailboat racing was the concept of gates instead of a single windward or leeward mark in large regattas. The leeward gate on a windward-leeward course is commonly used. The windward gate is less often used due to the difficulties in managing right-of-way around the right gate, the subtleties of which are understood mostly by match racers.[13] He has also been instrumental in developing several international yacht racing rules.
Training
Elvstrøm was a very early innovator in training techniques. For example, he used the technique of 'sitting out' or
“He did take sailing to a level that you had to call it a sport,” said Jesper Bank, a principal at Elvstrom Sails and a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Denmark. “Before Paul, you would see competitors with pipes in their mouths and wearing skippers’ caps. At that time, they certainly thought he was superhuman.”[10]
According to an obituary by the International Finn Association, "He was a sportsman and the first real sailing athlete. He trained harder and longer than anyone else so that when the day of the race came he was better prepared than anyone else. He was famous for his physical strength and fitness, able to out-hike anyone on the race course.”[14]
Business
Elvstrøm established a manufacturing company, Elvstrøm Sails, whose products included masts, booms, and sails. Displaying a keen marketing mind to go along with his engineering nous, the business grew rapidly and by the 1970s Elvstrøm products were seen on boats all around the world.[10]
Personal life
Elvstrøm was married to Anne, who pre-deceased him by three years; together they had four daughters: Pia, Stine, Gitte and Trine.[10]
Elvstrøm continued to sail in his later years until Parkinson's disease began to afflict him. In 2009 he sailed his Dragonfly trimaran — solo — to visit his daughter Gitte and her family on the east coast of Sweden, 600 miles from his home.[10]
Elvstrøm's success and celebrity brought personal stress. At the 1972 Games in Munich, under the pressures of competition and his challenges facing his sail-making business, he suffered a nervous breakdown.[15]
He died on 7 December 2016 at the age of 88,
Legacy
As well as being remembered as arguably the greatest sailing racer ever, Elvstrøm was also known to be a model of sportsmanship. He is famous for his philosophy that, "If you, by winning, are losing your friends, you are not winning."[10]
Achievements
Elvstrøm competed in eight
He is one of only five athletes who have competed in the Olympics over a span of 40 years, along with fencer Ivan Joseph Martin Osiier, sailors Magnus Konow and Durward Knowles and showjumper Ian Millar.[19]
Elvstrøm won medals at the world championships:
.In 1996, Elvstrøm was chosen as "Danish Sportsman of the Century."[4]
In 2007, Elvstrøm was among the first six inductees into the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame.[20]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1956 | Finn Gold Cup | Burnham-on-Crouch | 2nd | Finn | [21] |
1957 | 505 World Championships | La Baule-Escoublac | 1st | 505 | [22] |
1958 | 505 World Championships | La Baule-Escoublac | 1st | 505 | [22] |
Finn Gold Cup | Zeebrugge | 1st | Finn | [21] | |
1959 | Finn Gold Cup | Copenhagen | 1st | Finn | [21] |
Snipe World Championship | Porto Alegre | 1st | Snipe | [22] | |
1962 | Flying Dutchman World Championship | St. Petersburg | 1st | Flying Dutchman | [22] |
1966 | 5.5 Metre World Championship | Copenhagen | 1st | 5.5 metres | |
Star World Championship | Kiel | 1st | Star | [22] | |
1967 | Star World Championship | Copenhagen | 1st | Star | [22] |
1969 | Soling World Championship | Copenhagen | 1st | Soling | [22] |
Star World Championship | San Diego | 2nd | Star | [22] | |
1971 | Soling World Championship | New York | 3rd | Soling | |
1972 | Half Ton Cup / World Championship | Marstrand | 1st | Half Ton | [23] |
1974 | Soling World Championship | Sydney | 1st | Soling | [22] |
1985 | Tornado World Championship | Travemünde | 3rd | Tornado | [22] |
1981 | Half Ton Cup / World Championship | Poole | 1st | Half Ton | [24] |
Bibliography
- Elvstrom, Paul. Expert Dinghy and Keelboat Racing, 1967, Times Books, ISBN 0-8129-0054-5
- Elvstrom, Paul. Elvström Speaks on Yacht Racing, 1970, One-Design & Offshore Yachtsman Magazine, ISBN 0-8129-0134-7
- Elvstrom, Paul. Elvström Speaks -- to His Sailing Friends on His Life and Racing Career, 1970, Nautical Publishing Company, ISBN 0-245-59851-0
- Paul Elvström Explains the Yacht Racing Rules, First edition 1969, title updated to Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules of Sailing: 2005–2008 Rules. Updated four-yearly in accordance with racing rules revisions, various authors and publishers. ISBN 0-07-145626-0
See also
- Elvstrøm 717
- List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
- Multiple World champion in sailing
References
- ^ "Eight Bells: Paul Elvstrom". 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- Berlingske Tidende. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Paul Elvstrøm - Elvstrøm Sails".
- ^ a b Albrechtsen, Karin; Leksikon, Gyldendal. "Paul Elvstrøm". Denmark.dk. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d "The Great Dane dies at 88 + Video". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Paul Elvström, Sailing's Greatest". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ Egan, Martin. "Self Bailers". www.ukmirrorsailing.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Paul Elvström". sailing.org. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Paul Elvstrom • The Daily Dose". The Daily Dose. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Olympic Diaries: Paul Elvstrøm >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Scuttlebutt: Archived Newsletters". Retrieved 13 August 2008.
- ^ a b "Paul Elvstrøm - The legacy defines the man". finnclass.org. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Paul Elvstrom | Biography, Olympic Medals, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ Andersen, Jens (7 December 2016). "Paul Elvstrøm er død". dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ "International Olympic Committee – Athletes". Retrieved 13 August 2008.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Paul Elvstrøm". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
- ISBN 9780345534378– via Google Books.
- ^ "ISAF Hall of Fame : Paul Elvström". Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
- ^ a b c "Finn World Championships". the-sports.org. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Paul Elvstrøm – Results". sailing.org. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- ^ "SailboatData.com - BES 1/2 TON Sailboat". sailboatdata.com.
- ^ "Пауль Эльвстрем — чемпион мира 1981 года среди «полутонников» (Спорт / Новости спорта) - Barque.r"".
External links
Media related to Paul Elvstrøm at Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Elvstrøm at World Sailing
- Paul Elvström, Sailing's Greatest at Sail-World.com
- Paul Elvstrøm at Olympics.com
- Paul Elvstrøm at OlympicChannel.com (archived)
- Paul Elvstrøm at Olympedia