After placing second in the 2004 Laser World Sailing Competition, Tufts graduate Mark Mendelblatt has set his sights on a medal in the upcoming Olympics.

Athens[08.13.04] -- After two months of intense training in Athens, Mark Mendelblatt, a '95 Tufts graduate, will enter uncharted waters this week in his first Olympic games in Athens. Though not favored to take home the gold, Mendelblatt knows that in sailing, anything can happen.

"Hopefully I can close it out strong here," Mendelblatt- a Florida native- told the St. Petersburg Times. "It's going to take a pretty big effort to get a medal, but I think it's possible."

Mendelblatt is the first U.S. sailor to compete at the top level in the Laser category in decades, outdoing his previous ranks of 6th and 8th in the 2003 and 2002 World Championships

"I am intimately aware of how incredibly difficult and deep the talent in the Laser class is these days," John Myrdal- the 2000 Olympic representative- told the St. Petersburg Times. "Mark's second-place showing is nothing short of incredible."

Mendelblatt is not an Olympics rookie, strictly speaking- he was at the Games in Sydney, but only to support his girlfriend, Lenka Smidova, a Czech sailor who competes in the European class. Smidova will be competing again in Athens.

While at Tufts, Mendelblatt- who graduated with a bachelors degree in Psychology- was a college All-American for three consecutive years and was honored the Tufts Athlete of the Year in 1994.

His older brother David, also a Tufts graduate and accomplished sailor, encouraged Mendelblatt- who now works as a stockbroker- to begin racing competitively at age 10.

In recent months, the sailor has been trying to improve his downwind technique.

"We spent a lot of hours on the water, working on technique, and I think that has put me on a different level with some extra speed," he told the Times.

For now, with most of his rigorous training behind him, it's smooth sailing for Mendelblatt.

"There's not much more I can do right now, all the hard work is done," he told the newspaper. "I just need to stay rested."