~ Greece’s Kyriazakos and Italy’s Laura Grasso Castagnetta kept calm throughout the five-day competition. As the final windsurfing races were delayed and ultimately cancelled due to wind conditions, their mental resilience helped them earn gold medals in their respective events.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 13.11.2026) :: Sailing is a sport that requires great patience. On some days, even more than others.
The final day of the windsurfing competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games was particularly challenging. While race 13 and 14 went ahead as planned in the sea off Saly Beach, a change in wind direction and strength caused the delay of the final, decisive race.
The sailors sat on their boards in the water for almost two hours before the race was ultimately cancelled.
Fortunately for Evangelos Kyriazakos, he knew just how to handle the stress of the delay. In addition to training four times a week in the sea, as well as in the gym, he does mental work to prepare for the unique challenges of sailing competition.
“We do theories with our coach, and we also work out our brains,” the Greek sailor told Olympics.com. “We learn how to not be nervous and how to conquer these situations.
“Mental work and hard work pays off.”
It certainly did at Dakar 2026 where the 15-year-old claimed gold in the men’s windsurfing on Thursday, 12 November with a dominant lead over China, Hong Kong’s Ng Hoi Tik and Tunisia’s Rayen Briki, both of whom are older than the Greek.
Kyriazakos won 10 out of 14 races and never finished lower than fourth, collecting only 10 net points. While he was already 38 points apart from Ng ahead of the final race, the official result still came as a relief.
And as Kyriazakos guided his sailboat to shore, his father ran out to embrace him on the water’s edge.
“I felt touched and very happy,” Kyriazakos said of the moment. “It was a very meaningful experience. I'm happy that I was able to do it.”
His father was the reason Kyriazakos picked up windsurfing. A former windsurfer himself, he taught his son the basics of the sport and proudly watched from the shore as the new Youth Olympic gold medallist was announced.
“It all started with my father, because he taught me, and then I continued,” Kyriazakos said.
“I was very lucky to be in this race and I managed to win the first place and the gold medal for Greece,” he continued. “This is going to be huge for my windsurfing career. I'm happy, very grateful to be here.”
Cr-Olympics
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