Stephan VAN DEN BERG

As a teenager, Stephan van den Berg was gripped by the wind surfing craze. His hero was the legendary American Robbie Nash, who became World Champion in the sport aged only 13. In 1980, Van den Berg became World Champion himself, retaining the title until 1983. With these credentials, he was considered the top favorite for the inaugural wind surfing event at the 1984 Olympics. Although the relatively heavy Van den Berg struggled with the light winds, he managed to finish in the top four in all but one of his races, securing his country's first sailing gold since 1936. Following this success, he turned pro, but returned in 1991 to compete at the 1992 Games. He qualified for Barcelona, where he finished 7th.