Sofia Bekatorou

In a 470 dinghy , Bekatorou became an Olympic and four-time world champion

Sofia Bekatorou , since her marriage actually Sofia Bekatorou-Kosmatopoulou ( Greek Σοφία Μπεκατώρου-Κοσματοπούλου , born December 26, 1977 in Athens ), is a Greek regatta sailor.

In the boat class of 470 dinghies , she and her long-term sailing partner Emilia Tsoulfa became four-time world and Olympic champions . Bekatorou was for these services - double the prestigious award - together with Tsoulfa Weltseglerin of the year ( ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year ) of the International Sailing Federation awarded.

Since 2006 Bekatorou takes on a with changing Mitseglerinnen Yngling - Keelboat part in regattas. After a third place at the European Championships in 2007, she won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 with Virginia Kravarioti and Sofia Papadopoulou .

Bekatorou sails for the Tzitzifies Nautical Club in Kallithea (Greece).

Life

Sofia Bekatorou attended the technical engineering school in Piraeus from 1997 to 1998 , then studied civil engineering for two years at the National Technical University of Athens . From 2000 to 2004 she studied psychology at the Panteion University of Athens , she also worked as a sailing trainer.

Because of her Olympic gold medal in 2004, Bekatorou was awarded the rank of lieutenant in the Greek army . All Greek athletes who achieve a sixth or better place at the Olympic Games are promoted to this rank; the athletes are not used for military service, but receive a salary from the Greek state through the award. In addition, in 2005 EFG Eurobank Ergasias (the third largest bank in Greece) became a sponsor of Bekatorou and its sailing partner Tsoulfa. Eurobank remained Bekatorous' sponsor even after they later switched to the Yngling keelboat with other sailing partners.

Sailing - including training other sailors and committee memberships (e.g. member of the International Sailing Federation 2000–2006) - makes up the bulk of Bekatorou's activities. In 2005 she organized the Grecotel dream race on the Greek island of Mykonos . The event from 14th to 17th August 2005 served to promote and support sailing on Mykonos and provided three young sailors from the island with a grant and a boat each. Four Greek and four international groups participated in the event. In addition to Bekatorou, Tsoulfa and their brother Theodoros Tsoulfa, the entry lists also included several participants in the America's Cup .

In addition, Bekatorou is also active in other areas, especially in sports. In 2001 she ran a marathon. In addition to running, Bekatorou mentions cycling, skiing, dancing and cooking as hobbies. In 2006 she took part in a campaign where Olympic gold medalists raised money for abused women.

In addition to her Greek mother tongue, Bekatorou speaks German ( intermediate level examination of the Goethe Institute ), English ( First Certificate of the Cambridge International Examinations ) as well as French and Spanish.

Bekatorou lives in Athens and is married to Andreas Kosmatopoulos (born September 26, 1968), who is himself a world champion in the 470 class.

Sailing career: beginning and 470 career

At the age of eight, Bekatorou began sailing on an optimist . The following year she took part in her first regatta in this boat class and after another year she won her first regatta victory, also with an optimist. In the following years she continued to expand her sailing experience and successes.

Bekatorou competed in her first major international competition with a yacht when she took part in the 1994 World Cup in Greece on an ILC 40 .

However, she achieved her greatest successes in the boat class of 470 dinghies : eight times she was Greek champion. She mostly sailed with her compatriot and crew (i.e. responsible for the foresail ) Emilia Tsoulfa . In 1998, the two Greek women won third place in the 470 class at the European and World Championships.

In 2000 they took part in the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and finished fourteenth. In the same year they began a winning streak that is unprecedented in the 470 class to this day: Bekatorou and Tsoulfa were four-time world champions in a row (2000-2003) and three-time European champions (2000-2002) in a row.

Less than 100 days before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Bekatorou had to cancel the World Cup in Zadar (Croatia) and return to Athens for an urgent back operation. It was almost certain that Bekatorou would not be able to take part in the games because of this. But despite the interruption in training, Bekatorou and Tsoulfa not only managed to participate in the 470 class, but also an overwhelming success: After victories in five individual races and a large point advantage, the Greek women didn't even need to start the last (eleventh) individual race and won confidently the gold medal with a lead of 24 points. Bekatorou and Tsoulfa became heroes overnight in their hometown of Athens and were honored at the end of the Olympic Games with the fact that they were allowed to extinguish the Olympic flame . As for other Greek gold medalists, a stamp was also issued with her picture (Bekatorou and Tsoulfa together).

2002 and 2004 Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa were honored for their achievements on sailing to Weltseglerin of the year (since 2001 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards ) named. They were nominated for the award in 2001.

Career history: Yachting, including Yngling

In a Yngling , Bekatorou won bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games and the European Championship

Bekatorou continued to be active in yachting. In 2001, as a strategist for the Siemens team , she was runner-up in the world championship with an IMS 600 . In 2005, as a strategist and tactician, she brought a Farr 40 (the Atalanti ) and a TP 52 to second places in regattas off Florida and Punta Ala (Tuscany) in the Mediterranean. In 2005 she also took part in a TP-52 regatta off Key West under the successful skipper Paul Cayard .

After a total of eight years of sailing partnership between Bekatorou and Tsoulfa in the 470 class, Tsoulfa withdrew at least temporarily from sailing due to pregnancy. Since then, Bekatorou has completely turned to keel yachts. She won first place in the ISAF- rated match race regatta Athens Mecca Match Race of the yacht club Greece.

In addition, Bekatorou began to train with the Greek sailors Aliki Kourkoulou (Αλίκη Κούρκουλου) and Sofia Papadopoulou (Σοφία Παπαδοπούλου) on a Yngling keelboat. In February 2006 they achieved their first victory and for the rest of the year they sailed in ISAF-rated regattas in 12th place (HRH Princess Sofia Trophy off Palma ) and 18th (Holland regatta off Medemblik in North Holland).

At the end of February 2007, Bekatorou led the Yngling with Papadopoulou and meanwhile Christina Charamountani (Χριστίνα Χαραμουντάνη) to victory at the Athens Eurolymp Week (February 19-24 , 2007). At the former Holland Regatta, which has now been renamed the Breitling Regatta , the trio came 8th, and at the 2007 World Championships in Cascais, Portugal, they came 16th. The highlight of the year came for the three sailors in September with 3rd place at the Yngling European Championship in Warnemünde .

In winter 2008 the season of the three Greek women started slowly, with a 17th place at the regatta Rolex Miami ORC in front of Miami and a few days later at the same place a 14th place at the Yngling World Championship, but this for one of the last four qualifying places for the 2008 Olympic Games in China was enough. Bekatorou sailed a tenth place at the 2008 European Championship (also open to non-European sailors) in Blanes, Spain with Sofia Papadopoulou and Virginia Kravarioti , who secured 9th place at the 2004 Olympic Games in Europe .

At the Yngling competition of the 2008 Olympic Games in Qingdao , Bekatorou, Papadopoulou and Kravarioti were able to improve in the individual races after an initial 10th and 12th place up to a second place (5th race) and finally won the bronze medal.

Web links

• Sports page for the Olympic Games 2008 ( Memento from March 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (with picture)
• Nominated for World Sailor of the Year 2004 award on the International Sailing Federation website ; Retrieved March 1, 2007.
• Sofia Bekatorou's website (English, Greek)
• Portrait 2004 on the website of the International Sailing Federation (English)
• Picture of the victory celebration directly after winning the Olympic Games ( Memento from August 30, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) (on her boat that was intentionally overturned )
• Picture from the 2008 Olympics

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Information about the Grecotel Dream Race. ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) mykonos.gr (Greek); accessed on November 23, 2014
2. ↑ US Sailing's Rolex Miami OCR - Yngling. Series Standing - 13 races scored ( Memento of the original from July 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the pages of the regatta; Retrieved August 13, 2008  
3. ^ Sunshine Medal Race . yachtsandyachting.com (English); Retrieved August 13, 2008
4. ↑ 2008 Yngling Worlds - After 10 Races . ( Memento of the original from May 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. sailing.ca (English); Retrieved August 13, 2008 
5. ^ Clasificación general . ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. cvblanes.esportcatala.com; Retrieved August 13, 2008  
6. ^ Yngling - Women - Overall Results . sailing.org (English); Retrieved August 17, 2008

Note

This article in its original version dated March 2, 2007 is based on information from the International Sailing Federation about the nominees for the 2004 World Sailing Award and biography and news from Bekatorou's website www.bekatorou.com (English / Greek) (all accessed March 1, 2007).