Marit Bouwmeester wins women’s dinghy gold, Matt Wearn is Olympic champion again

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women’s dinghy at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, and Australia’s Matt Wearn made it back-to-back Olympic titles on the men’s side.

Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom, a four-time Olympian who won gold in Tokyo three years ago, took the women’s silver medal. Line Flem Hoest of Norway got bronze and pumped her fist as she crossed the finish line before jumping in the water to hug her friend Rindom.

Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus won silver — doubling his country’s medal count after he won Cyprus’ first Olympic medal ever in 2012. Stefano Peschiera of Peru took bronze, and “cried like never before in my life.”

The medal races for both women and men had been postponed to Wednesday because of fickle and light winds. Two more medal races originally scheduled for Wednesday — in the mixed-gender dinghies and multihull — were pushed back to Thursday.

“I feel like it’s been dangling in front of me for two days,” Wearn said.

The medal race was started and paused and restarted Wednesday afternoon because of fluctuating winds.

The 36-year-old Bouwmeester won silver in this class of sailing in London in 2012, followed by gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo. This was her first Olympic medal as a mother — her 2-year-old daughter, Jessie Mae, has become a companion in training, the medalist said.

“I’m very, very, very grateful to be in the Olympics and also be a mom,” Bouwmeester said.

She didn’t rule out a fifth Olympics, but said her priority for now would be her daughter: “I just want to go home and be there for little Jessie Mae.”

Rindom said Wednesday’s racing felt “amazing” after “such a tricky week of sailing.”

Hoest secured her bronze with a “safe start” and then focused on speed, she said.

“From the first downwind, I knew, ‘keep breathing, keep sailing, this medal is yours,’” said the Norwegian, who trains by cross-country skiing.

Bouwmeester’s victory was the Netherlands’ second sailing gold in these Games, following Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz in the women’s skiffs. Dutch windsurfer Luuc van Opzeeland won a bronze, making the country the leader in sailing medals so far.

Rindom won bronze in 2016 before her Tokyo gold.

The 34-year-old Kontides, competing in his fifth Games, said he was inspired by the 2004 Athens Games, when watching the boats sail by with their national flags “ignited a fire inside me.” In these Games, his toddler son was watching him.

“I’m going to tell him that in life he always needs to believe in himself and, regardless how things look, to always keep pushing through, fight for what you want, and, eventually, it will be achieved,” Kontides said.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides called the medal “a historic day” for the small Mediterranean country.

“I want to express how deeply moved and happy the people of Cyprus are for the achievement of our champion Pavlos Kontides who, once again, has elevated Cyprus sport to the highest level level of world sports,” he wrote.

All the longtime Olympians said they would consider competing again in Los Angeles — adding that the tight competitiveness of the dinghy fleet is one of the reasons they enjoy it so much and stay in it so long.

They also praised the affordability and accessibility of the small boats, which in Olympic competition are distributed to the sailors about a week before the racing, leveling the playing field.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games