2018 Rolex World Sailor of the Year, Cypriot Pavlos Kontides has received one more award for his excellent performances in 2018. The World Champion has been voted as the Cypriot Athlete of the Year, from the Cyprus Sports Writers Union members.

The recognition of Kontides was not a surprise in Cyprus, as in 2018 he won the European Championship, as well as the World Championship for the second consecutive year and was also given the Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award, the ultimate sailing distinction in the world.

Kontides was given the Cypriot Athlete of the Year Award for the sixth time in seven years, something that no other athlete has ever accomplished in the island. The Cyprus Sports Writers Union annual awards are the most prestigious institutionalized awards in the Cyprus, carried out from 1974. Representatives from all the athletic spectrum of Cyprus attend the ceremony every year, which is broadcasted live in television from the Cyprus Capital Channel (RIK).

Being voted six times as the best Cypriot athlete, Kontides is considered to be the greatest Cypriot athlete of all time. The Cyprus Athlete of the Year was handed the award from the President of the House of Representatives, Mr. Demetris Syllouris, who was also the presider for the Republic of Cyprus, as President Anastasiades was traveling abroad and could not attend the ceremony.

After his recognition, Pavlos Kontides stated, “I hope that 2019 will be a great year, so we can all contribute to Cyprus athleticism in sight of the Tokyo Olympic Games next year.”