Duarte Manuel Bello


Duarte Manuel de Almeida Bello was a Portuguese sailor who competed at the 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics. He won a silver medal in the Swallow class in 1948, together with his brother Fernando [Pinto Coelho Bello], and placed fourth in 1952 and 1956.
Bello also raced Star class keelboats, winning silver medals at the 1953 and 1962 World Championship, and a bronze in 1952. He was known as an equipment innovator who invented several devices, including automatic "Bello bailers" in 1954, and the circular boom-vang track at the early 1960s.

Early childhood

Duarte was born in colonial Maputo to Duarte Mendes de Almeida Bello and Maria do Pilar Pinto Coelho on 26 July 1921. Through a clerical error, the M which should have been Mendes as per his father became Manuel.
At 7 years of age his family moved back to Portugal, where he began sailing the Sharpie.
In 1943, he married Maria Antonia Carneiro Bustorff Silva, daughter of one of Portugal's most prominent lawyers of the time, as well as a sailor. He was a Civil Engineer by education and worked in the national rail line Comboios de Portugal.

Olympic and World Championships