Ukrainian Valentyn MANKIN crossed the line in seventh in final Star race of the 1980 Moscow Games to win his third Olympic gold medal - the first, and still the only, sailor to do so in three different classes.

MANKIN’s Olympic success began at the Mexico City Olympic Games in 1968. The sailing events were held in Acapulco, a venue which was known for light winds and not one in which MANKIN, more of a heavy-weather specialist, was expected to excel in. But excel he did, dominating the regatta from start to finish. Of the fleet of 36 Finns he was the only sailor to master the tricky waves conditions and shifty wind, eventually amassing an enormous winning margin of over 40 points.

MANKIN teamed up with Vitaly DYRDYRA for the 1972 Games, moving to the Tempest keelboat, which was making its Olympic debut. This time the sailing took place on the famous Kiel Fjord and the new class provided one of the highlights of the Olympic Regatta. The British team of Alan WARREN and David HUNT got off to a fantastic start, but MANKIN and DYRDYRA fought back, sending the series into a final-race decider. It was the team representing the USSR which won out, finishing third to the British pair’s eighth, giving MANKIN his second Olympic crown.

Following on from Kiel, MANKIN teamed up with a new partner Vladyslav AKIMENKO. The new pairing had near-instant success, winning the 1973 Tempest Worlds in Naples. When they started the 1976 Olympic Regatta on Lake Ontario in Canada with two bullets, MANKIN looked odds on to make it gold medal number three. However this time it was not to be, the Swedish team of John ALBRECHTSON and Ingvar HANSSON sailed fantastically to win comfortably in the end, with MANKIN and AKIMENKO taking the silver medal.

The Tempest was dropped from the Olympic programme for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, so MANKIN, now 41, and another new crew, Aleksandrs MUZICHENKO, entered in the Star Class. With the US-led boycott, the Star fleet was only 13-strong and missing the reigning World Champions, but this was still the Olympic Games and whilst some were missing, many of the world’s top crews were in attendance.

Despite the reduced fleet, the racing held in Tallinn did not lack anything in the way of excitement. MANKIN and MUZICHENKO got off to a fantastic start, winning two of the first three races, but the Austrain team of Hubert RAUDASCHL, who had finished runner up to MANKIN in the Finn back in 1968, and Karl FERSTL were also sailing well. When MANKIN and MUZICHENKO slipped up with a sixth in the penultimate race, their rivals struck, posting a bullet to send the series into a final-race decider.

Once again it was to be RAUDASCHL who would finish second best. MANKIN and MUZICHENKO finished ahead of their Austrian rivals to win the series by seven points. MANKIN had his third Olympic gold medal, each one of which he had won in a different class. Not only is he the first sailor to achieve three Olympic gold medals in the three different classes, he remains the only one to have done so.

Where Are They Now

Following his remarkable Olympic success, Valentyn MANKIN (UKR) went on to become a coach in the Olympic Classes. He emigrated to Italy in 1988.

ISAF In 1980

Fort Worth, Texas, USA hosted the tenth addition of the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship. Chris DICKSON (NZL), sailing with Sean REEVES (NZL) in the Laser II, won his third consecutive gold medal.