He has spent 40 years' time between the sky and the sea. He is a four-time Olympian with a large collection of prizes for yachting competitions.
Now a father of four, Santiago Lange, 46, is muscling up for his fifth Olympics -- 2008 Qingdao Sailing Regatta, to represent his country Argentina the best he can.
"The fifth Olympics is a new stage in my life. My only focus in the past four years was to win the Olympic gold," he said, while adjusting his boat in Qingdao Yinhai Yachtsman Training Center.
Santiago Lange participated in the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Athens 2004, where he was awarded the bronze medal in the Tornado class, together with his teammate and friend Carlos Espinola.
He also won four World Championships (Tornado 2004, Snipe 1985, 1993 and 1995) and a first place in the overall Tornado world ranking with Carlos in 2004.
"Sailing is what I enjoy most in life. It is part of me," he said. "I never took decisions. They came along. I always enjoy what I do and I really like it."
Lange started sailing when he was six, influenced by his father who finished fourth in Helsinki 1952. Having been told by his father that he must go to college, he studied naval architecture at the University of Southampton, England, and takes pride in his shipyard. His sailing career started after that.
Since May, 2008, Lange and his teammate Carlos began training in Qingdao. They sailed about five hours every day, plus one-hour running along the shore.
"When we came back, we had a meeting to analyze the day. We make notes on our techniques and watch videos to evaluate the tests we've done with the sails and the boat," he said, adding that "the wind and the sea condition here are very very difficult. The wind is very light. It is really really challenging."
Their favorite training partners, however, are their competitors -- well-known Austrian Tornado team Hagara and Steinacher, gold medalists in Athens.
"We are both sponsored by the Red Bull and we train together all the time. The training is really of good quality and we can both benefit from each other," said Lange.
"If we sail faster because we adjust something, we will tell them and the vise versa. We fight very hard on the water but we are good friends."
To prepare for the uncertain condition on the sea, Lange and Carlos have yoga exercises for one hour every morning to balance the mind and body. They do a lot of meditation, imaging the whole race and their weak and strong points, feeling the wind and water.