Mario Aquilina (born 18 November 1975 in Birżebbuġa) is a retired Maltese sailor, who specialized in the

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

class. He represented his nation

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

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. 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. Aquilina made his official debut, as a lone sailor, at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, where he placed thirty-seventh in the

class with a remarkable grade of 272, surpassing Singapore's Stanley Tan by a three-point advantage. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Aquilina qualified for his second Maltese team, as a 29-year-old, in the

class by granting a tripartite invitation from the

International Sailing Federation International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. 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.

References

External links

* 1975 births Living people Olympic sailors for Malta Maltese male sailors (sport) Sailors at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Laser Sailors at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Laser People from Birżebbuġa {{Malta-yachtracing-bio-stub