| Mario Aquilina | |
| Fullname: | Mario Aquilina |
| Birth Date: | 18 November 1975 |
| Birth Place: | Birżebbuġa, Malta |
| Weight: | 800NaN0 |
| Classes: | Dinghy |
| Club: | Birzebbbuga Sailing Club |
| Coach: | Peter Valentino |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Mario Aquilina (born 18 November 1975 in Birżebbuġa) is a retired Maltese sailor, who specialized in the Laser class.[1] He represented his nation Malta 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.[2] [3] 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.[4]
Aquilina made his official debut, as a lone sailor, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he placed thirty-seventh in the Laser class with a remarkable grade of 272, surpassing Singapore's Stanley Tan by a three-point advantage.[5] [6]
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Aquilina qualified for his second Maltese team, as a 29-year-old, in the Laser class by granting a tripartite invitation from the International Sailing Federation.[2] 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.[7] [8]