Out in Brazil Britain’s young guns have double cause for celebration as RYA Volvo Team GBR sailors landed a World title and a silver medal on the final day of the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships.
Gold went to Phil Sparks and Ben Gratton in the boys’ 420, the 16-year-old pair holding their nerve to seal an awesome victory on their ISAF Youth Worlds debut.
Silver went to Izzy Hamilton in the RS:X girls’ windsurfing class, the Bude schoolgirl, who finished a hugely creditable sixth on her Youth Worlds debut in Denmark last year, retaining her overnight position of second to seal her first ISAF Youth Worlds silverware.
In taking gold, Christchurch’s Sparks and Gratton, from Guildford, become the first British boys ever to win a 420 ISAF Youth Worlds title, double Olympic silver medallist Joe Glanfield, sailing with Graham Vials, boasting the previous best British 420 result of silver in Japan in 1997. The new champions are also only the fourth British pairing to win a boys’ double-handed ISAF Youth Worlds title.
Meanwhile, the youngest member of RYA Volvo Team GBR at 15, Hannah from Llandegfedd Sailing Club achieved her target of a top 25 finish claiming 21st in the girls’ Laser Radial. An excellent result for Hannah.
RYA Youth Racing Manager Duncan Truswell said: “It’s been a good week for us as a team. We’re all so delighted for Phil, Ben and Izzy but all the sailors can be proud of some of the performances they’ve produced during the week and most importantly, the lessons they will have learned.
“Conditions didn’t favour some of the sailors at certain stages of the regatta but no-one got downbeat and many of them showed in the right conditions they can compete with the best in the World. It’s now making sure that even in their non-favoured conditions they can post competitive scores and stay in the mix at the top of their fleets.
“One of the most encouraging things about this team is every single sailor has come through the RYA pathway system from Zone Squad, through the National Junior Squad programme and into the RYA Volvo Youth Squad. This is huge testament to the work of their coaches both on the programme and in the clubs.”
Hannah Tilley, now looks forward to stepping back into the Laser 4.7 for the 4.7 worlds in Brazil later this month!! It must be tough...pob lwc!
Full results on the ISAF Youth Worlds website http://www.isafyouthworlds.com/
Image credit: Marc Turner/RYA