Mario Aquilina

Mario Aquilina (born 18 November 1975 in Birżebbuġa) is a retired Maltese sailor, who specialized in the Laser class.[1] He represented his nation Malta in two editions of the Olympic Games (2000 and 2004), and has been a full-fledged member of the Birzebbuga Sailing Club throughout his sailing career, training under head coach Peter Valentino.[2][3] 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.[4]

Mario Aquilina
Personal information
Full nameMario Aquilina
Nationality Malta
Born (1975-11-18) 18 November 1975
Birżebbuġa, Malta
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Weight80 kg (176 lb)
Sailing career
Class(es)Dinghy
ClubBirzebbbuga Sailing Club
CoachPeter Valentino

Aquilina made his official debut, as a lone sailor, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he placed thirty-seventh in the Laser class with a remarkable grade of 272, surpassing Singapore's Stanley Tan by a three-point advantage.[5][6]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Aquilina qualified for his second Maltese team, as a 29-year-old, in the Laser class by granting a tripartite invitation from the International Sailing Federation.[2] Unlike his previous Olympics, Aquilina could not upgrade his position with a net score of 339 points and a thirty-ninth-place effort in a fleet of forty-two sailors.[7][8]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Mario Aquilina". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. "Laser class sailor Aquilina gets Athens Olympics invitation". Times of Malta. 15 July 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. "Aquilina maintains Athens hopes". Times of Malta. 11 September 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. "Mario Aquilina And Benji Borg named Sailors of the Year". Malta Independent. 2 February 2005. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  5. "Sydney 2000: Sailing – Men's Laser Class" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 131. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  6. Fisher, Bob (26 September 2000). "Sydney Olympics: Strange leaders in the Laser class". Boats.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. "Sailing: Mixed Laser Class". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  8. "Aquilina still 39th overall despite best finish". Times of Malta. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2014.


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