Pavlos Kontides, a graduate student at Duquesne University and Olympic silver medalist, has been named the 2018 Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Considered the highest award one can receive in recognition of his/ her outstanding achievements in sailing, the World Sailor of the Year awards are presented to one male and one female winner. The awards, which were established in 1994, are presented during the World Sailing Annual Conference, where the winners also receive a Rolex timepiece.

“What an amazing feeling to be among sailing’s greatest legends of all time,” Pavlos wrote on his Facebook page. In 2012, Pavlos became the first athlete from Cyprus to win an Olympic medal for his country when he took the silver medal for men’s Laser sailing. During the 2017 Sailing World Cup, he won silver in Miami, Florida, and gold in Hyères, France, before winning silver in Gamagori, Japan, during round one of the 2018 cup series. Pavlos also won gold at the 2017 Laser World Championships and again in 2018 at the Hempel Sailing World Championships.

Pavlos is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Sports Business online from Duquesne’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. “I really enjoy being able to earn my degree online as it offers me the flexibility with my schedule,” Pavlos said.