Paul Elvstrøm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Elvstrøm

Paul Elvstrøm c. 1972
Personal information
Nationality	Danish
Born	(1928-02-25)25 February 1928 Hellerup, Denmark
Died	7 December 2016(2016-12-07) (aged 88) Hellerup, Denmark
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Sailing career
Class(es)	5.5 Metre, 505, Finn, Firefly, Flying Dutchman, Snipe, Soling, Star, Tornado
Club	Hellerup Sejlklub, Gentofte
Medal record Representing  Denmark International athletics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 0 0 World championships 11 2 2 Olympic Games Gold 1948 London Firefly class Gold 1952 Helsinki Finn class Gold 1956 Melbourne Finn class Gold 1960 Rome Finn class World championships Gold 1957 La Baule 505 class Gold 1958 La Baule 505 class Gold 1958 Zeebrugge Finn class Gold 1959 Copenhagen Finn class Gold 1959 Porto Alegre Snipe class Gold 1962 St. Petersburg Flying Dutchman class Gold 1966 Copenhagen 5.5 metres class Gold 1966 Kiel Star class Gold 1967 Copenhagen Star class Gold 1969 Copenhagen Soling class Gold 1974 Sydney Soling class Silver 1956 Burnham Finn class Silver 1969 San Diego Star class Bronze 1971 New York Soling class Bronze 1985 Travemünde Tornado class

Elvstrøm at the 1960 Olympics

Elvstrøm at the 1960 Olympics

Paul Bert Elvstrøm (born February 25, 1928 – died December 7, 2016) was a famous Danish sailor. He is known as one of the greatest sailors of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals. He also earned eleven world titles in eight different types of boats. These boats included the Snipe, Soling, Star, Flying Dutchman, and Finn.

Paul Elvstrøm's Sailing Career

Elvstrøm took part in eight Olympic Games from 1948 to 1988. This is a very long time to compete! He is one of only six people ever to win four gold medals in a row in individual sports. He won his first gold in a Firefly boat. After that, he won three more golds in the Finn boat class.

In his last two Olympic Games, he sailed a Tornado Catamaran. This type of boat is usually sailed by two young people. Paul sailed it with his daughter, Trine Elvstrøm. She helped him as the front crew member.

He is also one of only four athletes who competed in the Olympics over a span of 40 years. This shows his amazing dedication to sailing.

Innovations in Sailing

Elvstrøm was not just a great sailor. He also helped create new sailing equipment. He developed better sails and gear.

The Self-Bailer

One of his best inventions was a new type of self-bailer. A self-bailer helps to drain water out of a boat. His design is still used today. It had a special shape that closed automatically if the boat hit something. It also had a flap to stop water from coming in when the boat was still. Older bailers would break easily. They also let in a lot of water when the boat was moving slowly.

Training Techniques

Elvstrøm was also very smart about training. He used a technique called 'sitting out' or hiking. This means leaning out of the boat to keep it balanced. He would put his whole body weight outside the boat. This gave him more power to keep the boat level in strong winds. A level boat goes faster!

To get strong enough, Elvstrøm built a special training bench. It had straps like those in his boat. He spent many hours practicing hiking on this bench at home. This helped him become incredibly fit.

The Kicking Strap

He also made the kicking strap popular. This is also known as a boom vang in the US. It's a rope system that connects the boom (the pole holding the bottom of the sail) to the mast. It lets the boom move out without lifting up.

This helps control the mainsail's shape. It makes the sail more powerful. This increases the boat's speed and makes it easier to control. Elvstrøm kept this invention a secret at first. His competitors wondered why he was so fast. He would even remove the kicking strap before coming ashore!

Other Contributions and Recognition

Elvstrøm started his own company. It made sailing parts like masts, booms, and sails. He also helped create several important rules for yacht racing.

In 1996, Paul Elvstrøm was named "Danish Sportsman of the Century." This was a huge honor. In 2007, he was one of the first people to be put into the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame. He passed away on December 7, 2016, at 88 years old. He had been battling Alzheimer's for some years.

See also

In Spanish: Paul Elvstrøm para niños