Allianz Sailing World Championships: A victory won is a victory shared

“I think I did this in the Laser 4.7 in 2003,” laughs the Croatian, looking back at his days in the youth fleet.

But to win two races at senior level in an Olympic fleet, on day one of the ILCA 7 World Championships, is a rare feat and one to be savoured.

Stipanović is not really the right size for an ILCA 7. He’s one of the shorter competitors in the boat park. Nor is he in the first flush of youth. “Ask him how old he is,” shouts Pavlos Kontides mischievously, as the Cypriot competitor spots the interview with his friend is about to get underway.

Stipanović, since you ask, is 37 years old. He laughs with a hint of embarrassment when asked how long he has been competing in the ILCA 7, formerly known as the Laser. “Twenty-five years,” he admits sheepishly. Despite being not quite the right size or age for the physically demanding singlehanded dinghy, Stipanović’s talent continues to shine.

Not only was it a good day for the Croatian, Kontides had a pretty solid start to his competition, the Cypriot taking a 4,2 from the day and sitting in third overall behind Stipanović and the British sailor Michael Beckett. Their early success in The Hague speaks highly of the tight-knit training group that Kontides formed with the Croatian squad and a few others back in 2006.

“We are like family, you know, especially me and the Croats,” says Kontides. “I’m getting married in September and my best men is going to be Filip Jurisic [Croatian ILCA 7 competitor]. Jozo Jakelic, our coach, he has been with us through all the highs and lows. It is a special bond.”

Coming from smaller nations with limited resources, Stipanović and Kontides long ago recognised that to beat the bigger sailing nations the only way would be to pool their talent and efforts into a dedicated, passionate training squad.

Kontides says there are no secrets in the group, which also includes others such as Hungary’s Jonatán and Benjamin Vadnai. “Sharing everything, all the knowledge, that’s the key value of our group. When somebody is fast and he shares what he knows, everyone is improving.”

To achieve success at the top of the ILCA fleet, the dedication and sacrifice is considerable. Stipanović says he has spent way more time with his training partners than with his family so far this year. “We are training a lot, it never stops. I have seen my wife and kids maybe a maximum of 30 days so far this year. But when you see results like today, it’s proof that you are doing things in a good way.”

The formula has delivered phenomenal success over the past decade. When Kontides stepped up to the podium for silver at the London 2012 Games, it was the first time Cyprus had won an Olympic medal in any sport.

At Rio 2016 Stipanović came achingly close to winning Croatia’s first ever gold medal in Olympic sailing before a pre-start error relegated him to silver as Australia’s Tom Burton cruised away to an unexpected gold. Even so, silver was a stunning result for Stipanović, and was clearly no fluke as he went on to win silver again at Tokyo 2020.

So two Olympic silvers in a row for this giant-killing duo. Could gold be on the cards for Paris 2024? Can they break the stronghold of Australia, the nation that has won the past three Olympic golds with three different sailors?

There’s every possibility, but for today the focus is on winning the 2023 Worlds in The Hague. Kontides has climbed to the top step twice before, taking the world title in 2017 and 2018. For Stipanović, he has yet to experience that moment, but has made the perfect start to attempting to win his first ever ILCA 7 world title.

Perhaps 2023 could be the year for the Croatian. Not if Kontides has his way though. He wants a third world title for himself. “We are training partners only until the start guns fires.” But if the world title is to go to anyone else, he would be very happy for it to go to his friend and training partner. A victory won is a victory shared.

For more news from the Allianz Sailing World Championships, please visit our dedicated event website: https://thehague2023.sailing.org/