British Sailing Team at the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships
by RYA Press Office 19 Dec 2023 08:53 PST
8-16 December 2023
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We caught up with the GBR sailors and riders to hear about their experiences from the exhilarating 52nd edition of the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships in Armação dos Buzios, Brazil.
'Incredible team'
Lead Coach, James Hadden said: "I'm so proud of this incredible team! They worked so hard to prepare for this event and that allowed them to test their abilities against the world's best young talents in a mini-Olympic-style environment.
"It was fantastic to see them perform so well, both individually and as a team. All of them have had some amazing experiences, both on and off the water, which they can take forwards into their next events and beyond - a bright future awaits."
iQFOiL (Windsurfer)
Darcey Shaw, hailing from Poole Harbour Yacht Club, secured 3rd place among 21 female windsurfers. Reflecting on her achievement, she remarked: "Making it to the podium was fantastic. The event had great wind and I even spotted a bunch of turtles!" Gold went to Kristyna Pinosova (CZE), with Silver taken by Lina Erzen (SLO).
Boris Shaw claimed 5th place among a fleet of 32 male windsurfing competitors. From the event he was able to improve his upwind techniques and he is now gearing up for senior training in Lanzarote.
29er (Skiff)
Charlie Gran and Sam Webb secured 4th place in the intensely competitive male/mixed 29er fleet. Discussing the event, Sam emphasised the importance of perseverance until the race's final moments.
Annabelle Vines and Madeline Bilbrough clinched the 12th position in the female 29er category, describing the event as challenging yet brilliant, they thought the event's 'best bits' were the competitive atmosphere and the supportive camaraderie within the GBR team.
Nacra 15 (Multihull)
Sophie Raven and Sam Cox landed 6th place in Nacra 15, noting the importance of confidence Sophie said: "I learnt that I need to go into the event with more confidence in myself because as soon as we started to do well and pushing hard, that's when we started to see results".
420 (Two person dinghy)
Henry Heathcote and Oscar Cawthorne claimed 6th place in the male/mixed 420 fleet, noting the high standard within the feet and the importance of resilience. Oscar shared: "Even if you have one bad day racing it's still possible to come back and get back up the leader board!".
Noa Moskovitch and Gabriella Burlton finished 12th in the female 420 fleet, Gabriella emphasised the valuable learning experience gained from sailing in the event's diverse conditions and in a fleet "where every point matters".
ILCA 6 (One person dinghy)
Jack Graham-Troll finished 24th in the male ILCA 6 category, he reflected that he had a good start in lighter winds but as the breeze picked up, he started to struggle and plans to focus on training in stronger winds back in Weymouth.
Formula Kite (Kiteboarding)
In the male kiteboarding category, Mattia Maini secured 8th place, he shared that he enjoyed the event's different conditions and challenges and is planning to incorporate these experiences into his upcoming training in Fuerteventura.
Kite rider Ella Geiger competed in the female fleet, after some close races she finished the event in 5th place. She shared: "I had great event I learnt how to better my tactical skills around the racecourse!"
Well done to all the team. Check out World Sailing to find out the full event results.