Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Ireland |
Born | Birmingham, England, Great Britain | 21 July 1969
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) |
Sailing career | |
Class | Dinghy |
Club | Royal Cork Sailing Club |
Maria Coleman (born 21 July 1969) is an Irish former sailor, who specialized in the Europe class. [1] She represented her nation Ireland in two editions of the Olympic Games (2000 and 2004), and was once ranked second in the world for her signature class by the International Sailing Federation, the highest ever placement for an Irish sailor. [2] Coleman trained throughout most of her competitive sporting career for the Royal Cork Sailing Club. [3] [4]
Coleman made her Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, finishing a credible twelfth in the Europe class with a satisfying net grade of 86, but narrowly falling short from the top ten spot by a two-point deficit. [5] [6]
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Coleman qualified for her second Irish team, as a lone female sailor, in the Europe class by placing fifteenth and receiving a berth from the 2003 ISAF World Championships in Cadiz. [7] Coleman endured most of the races with mediocre marks, before finding her form at the back end of the opening series with her first and only victory over a fleet of twenty-four other sailors. Coleman's triumph on the last round of the series, however, was not enough to move her towards the top of the leaderboard, ending her Olympic campaign in eighteenth overall with a net grade of 147. [8]
Irina Emilova Konstantinova-Bontemps is a Bulgarian windsurfer, who specialized in Neil Pryde RS:X class. She represented Bulgaria in four editions of the Olympic Games, and has also placed outside the top ten in both Mistral and RS:X classes. In 2006, Konstantinova married French windsurfer, two-time world champion, and later 2008 Olympic silver medalist Julien Bontemps before she relocated to France, and trained for ASPTT Nantes. As of September 2013, Konstantinova is ranked no. 88 in the world for the sailboard class by the International Sailing Federation.
Mario Aquilina is a retired Maltese sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He represented his nation Malta in two editions of the Olympic Games, and has been a full-fledged member of the Birzebbuga Sailing Club throughout his sailing career, training under head coach Peter Valentino. Having the prestige to represent his nation in two Olympic Games, Aquilina has been nominated several times as the Sailor of the Year by the Malta Sailing Federation.
Karl Ossian Militz Suneson is a retired Swedish sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He obtained two medals in his respective category at the Laser World Championship, and also represented his nation Sweden in two editions of the Olympic Games. Suneson trained throughout most of his sporting career for the Royal Swedish Yacht Club in Saltsjöbaden under his personal coach and brother Wilhelm Suneson.
Roope Samuel Suomalainen is a retired Finnish sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He represented his nation Finland in two editions of the Olympic Games, and has also been training throughout most of his sporting career for Kotka Yacht Club in his native Kotka.
Kunio Suzuki is a Japanese sailor, who specialized in the Laser and two-person keelboat (Star) class. He earned a bronze medal in his respective category at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and also represented his nation Japan in two editions of the Olympic Games. Suzuki also trains full-time for the Wakayama Marina City Regatta in Wakayama.
Stanley Tan Kheng Siong is a retired Singaporean sailor, who specialized in the Laser class, and was Singapore's third double-Olympic sailor. He represented his nation Singapore in two editions of the Olympic Games.
Gareth Blanckenberg is a retired South African sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He obtained top twenty finishes on his respective category in two editions of the Olympic Games, and has also been training throughout most of his sailing career for Imperial Yacht Club in Cape Town, under his Irish-born personal coach Trevor Millar.
Maciej Tadeusz Grabowski is a Polish sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He had an impressive track record of two career European titles, and finished only in the top 16 in three editions of the Olympic Games, representing his nation Poland. Throughout his sporting career, Grabowski trained for Hestia Sopot Sailing Club and then became a member of the Polish Sailing Association under head coach Tomasz Chamera. As of June 2015, Grabowski is ranked outside the top 200 for the Laser class by the International Sailing Federation.
Imre Taveter is a retired Estonian sailor who specialized in the Finn class.
Sarah Anne Macky is a New Zealand former sailor, who specialized in the Europe class. She scored top ten finishes on her signature boat in two editions of the Olympic Games, and also trained throughout most of her sailing career for Kohimarama Yacht Club, under the tutelage of her coach and former Olympian Leslie Egnot.
Neus Garriga Turón is a Spanish former sailor, who specialized in the Europe class. She competed for the nation's sailing squad in two editions of the Olympic Games, and came closest to the medal haul on her Olympic debut in Sydney, trailing behind the bronze medalist Serena Amato of Argentina. Garriga trained throughout most of her sailing career for El Balís Nautical Club (Spanish: Club Nàutic El Balís in the outskirts of Barcelona.
Monika Bronicka is a Polish former sailor, who specialized in the Europe class. She was selected to compete for Poland in two editions of the Olympic Games, and also scored top fifteen placements in a major international regatta, spanning the World and European Championships. Bronicka is a member of the sailing squad for AZS UWM Olsztyn, under the tutelage of her personal coach and eventual spouse Mariusz Delgas.
Maiko Sato is a Japanese former sailor, who specialized in both Europe and Laser Radial classes. She captured a silver medal in her respective single-handed boat category at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and was also selected to compete for Japan in two editions of the Olympic Games.
Min Dezillie is a Belgian former sailor, who specialized in the Europe class. She represented her nation Belgium in three editions of the Olympic Games and came closest to the medal haul on her second Olympic stint in Sydney, finishing sixth overall.
Joana Santos Silva Ferreira Pratas is a Portuguese former sailor, who specialized in the Europe class. She was selected to compete for Portugal in three editions of the Olympic Games, posting scores lower than the top twenty, respectively, in all of her career meets.
Nataliya Vladimirovna Ivanova is a Russian former sailor, who specialized in both Europe and Yngling classes. A multiple-time national champion in her respective boats, Ivanova represented her nation Russia in two editions of the Olympic Games and also trained as a member of the sailing roster at SK EShVSM Moscow.
Philippe Bergmans is a Belgian former sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He won a gold medal at the 2004 European Laser Championships in Warnemünde, Germany, and was selected to compete for Belgium in three editions of the Olympic Games. Before his retirement came at the end of 2004 season, Bergman trained for the Royal Belgian Sailing Club, under the tutelage of head coach Filip Willems.
Kim Ho-kon is a South Korean former sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. Regarded as one of South Korea's most successful sailors in history, Kim has appeared in three editions of the Olympic Games and has produced a tally of three medals in the Laser class at the Asian Games.
Kevin Lim Leong Keat is a Malaysian former sailor, who specialized in the Laser class. He bagged two silver medals at the Asian Games and became the first-ever Malaysian athlete in history to compete in four editions of the Summer Olympic Games. Before retiring from the sport in late 2008, Lim trained most of his career at the Woollahra Sailing Club in Sydney, Australia.
Johann "Hans" Spitzauer is an Austrian former sailor, who specialized in both Finn and Star classes. He was named the country's top Finn sailor in the first three editions of his Olympic career and came closest to the medal haul in Atlanta 1996, finishing in fourth place. After missing out his Sydney 2000 bid, he moved into the Star class and eventually partnered with Andreas Hanakamp to compete at his fourth Olympics in Athens 2004 and with Christian Nehammer at his fifth in Beijing 2008. Outside the Games, Spitzauer was deemed one of the world's most successful Finn sailors in the early to mid-1990s, receiving a complete set of medals with one in each color at the Finn Gold Cup and the Finn European Championships, respectively.