Pavlos Kontides is competing in the waters of San Pedro, in the port of Los Angeles, this week in his third Grand Slam event of the year. Racing began on Sunday, 19 July, and Kontides finished 27th in the ILCA 7 class in the one race sailed so far.
The Los Angeles event doubles as a valuable chance for the two-time Olympic silver medallist to gather data on the Olympic waters ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The world number one in the ILCA 7 class has been in Los Angeles since the start of the month, and competed in the North American Championship in the lead-up to the Grand Slam, finishing 10th.
Kontides won bronze at last year's Los Angeles Grand Slam, when racing was held in Long Beach. Of this year's earlier Grand Slam events, illness kept him out of the Palma de Mallorca leg, and he finished eighth in Hyeres before going on to win the European Championship for the third time in his career, at the event held in Croatia.
Cyprus has one other sailor competing in Los Angeles alongside Kontides, with Marilena Makri racing in the ILCA 6 class. She finished 11th in her opening race.
