Paul Bert Elvstrøm
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Sailing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | London 1948 | Firefly class | |
| Gold | Helsinki 1952 | Finn class | |
| Gold | Melbourne 1956 | Finn class | |
| Gold | Rome 1960 | Finn class | |
Paul Bert Elvstrøm (born February 25, 1928 in Copenhagen) is a yachtsman from Denmark. He has won the world championships fifteen times in eight different types of boat, including Soling, Starboat, Flying Dutchman and Finn.
He competed in eight Olympic Games from 1948 to 1988, being one of only three persons ever (the others are athletes Carl Lewis in the long jump and Al Oerter in the discus) to win four consecutive gold medals (1948, '52, '56, '60), first time in a Firefly, subsequently in Finns.
Elvstrøm has also made a name of himself as developer of sails and sailing equipment and built boats, e.g. the Trapeze.
One of his most successful inventions was the Self-Bailer. This was a device set into the underwater section of the hull and in the event of a capsize could be lowered and the suction generated by the water flow sucked out the water remaining in the cockpit of the dinghy after it was righted and sailing again. This device is extensively used in racing dinghies which do not have a self draining cockpit.
Elvstrøm also revolutionised dinghy sailing by pioneering the technique of 'hiking' also known as 'sitting out'. He was the first to fix straps, known as 'toe-straps' in the bottom of his dinghy. He could then hook his feet underneath the straps to enable him to get all his body weight, from the knees upwards, outside the boat which provided significant leverage to enable the boat to remain level in stronger winds and hence go faster than his competitors. This technique required significant fitness. Elvstrøm's built a training bench with toe-straps in his garage to replicate the sitting out position in his dinghy. He then proceeded to spend many training hours on dry land sitting out on the bench at home! This technique revolutionised dingy racing and quickly became the norm in all dinghy classes.
He has also been the father of several international yacht racing rules.
In 1996 Elvstrøm was chosen as "Danish Sportsman of the Century."
