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Constanze has been in love with sailing since her father encouraged her to take up the sport when she was nine.

He sent the would-be ballet dancer to a sailing course at her local Dusseldorfer Yacht Club, where she learnt to handle an Optimist on the river Rhine.

Six years later, at the age of 15, she says she sails because she likes the combination of mental determination, tactics and physical skill. And she much prefers sailing when the winds are strong.

Stolz often travels to the Netherlands to train on the sea, and that experience paid off handsomely last year when she won the U16 Laser 4.7 class at the European Cup at Hoorn.

Before deciding she prefers sailing, Stolz was looking towards a career in ballet after dancing for nine years. When she's not sailing under the watchful eye of her coach Klaus Lahme, she enjoys cooking and playing the piano.

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