Techno 293 Windsurfing World Championships at San Francisco

Kieran Martin at the Techno 293 Windsurfing World Championships © Paul Wyeth / RYA

RYA Volvo National Youth and Junior Squad sailors secured a treble of gold medals at the 2011 Techno 293 Windsurfing World Championships on Sunday (24 July), with Kieran Martin, Saskia Sills, and Emma Wilson all claiming world titles in San Francisco, USA.

With blue skies and bright sunshine greeting the shores of San Francisco bay across the five days of racing, it was Cheadle’s Kieran Martin in the under-17 boy’s class who claimed back to back wins on the final day, clinching him the prestigious world title.

Martin started the Championships off slow and it was RYA National Junior Squad member Adam Purcell who led the charge in the early stages of the Championships, only to then fall behind towards the business end of the regatta. Martin took advantage with consistent top end results to take Gold and event victory while Macclesfield’s Purcell finished with a hard-fought silver medal.

Martin, RYA Volvo National Youth Squad sailor, commented: “It was a tough week of racing, especially with the strong tides but I am really pleased that all my hard work has paid off and I won - It feels brilliant!

“The conditions were ideal for me as we have been doing a lot of training in the stronger breeze, although the tides made it quite tiring and it took the first few days to get to grips with.”

Martin added: “Once I got into my stride and the results started to come, that’s when i really stared to enjoy the event. My strongest competition was by far my team mate Adam who won silver, although everyone who competed was of a good standard. We both receive really good coaching from our RYA coach Oli Woodcock which I guess is why the team did so well and won so many medals.

“I’m going to take a break now for a week or so and then start training for my next event. I’m sure the experience from winning the world title at this event will add to my performance at future events,” concluded Martin.

Meanwhile in the girl’s under-17 division, Launceston’s 15-year-old Saskia Sills and her twin sister Imogen Sills, flew the flag for Great Britain as they continued the British dominance with a gold and bronze medal respectively.

The medals were once again decided in the last race of the day with intense racing all week leading up to a finale finish. RYA National Junior Squad sailor Saskia clinched the world title by finishing second behind fellow GBR and Barrow-On-Humber team mate Emma Labourne in the final race of the regatta. Labourne finished seventh overall while Noelle Finch from Clevedon finished just behind Imogen Sills in fourth.

The third and final gold medal was sealed in the Under-15 girl’s class before the final day had even begun due to an array of outstanding performances by Dorset’s Emma Wilson throughout the Championships. In the same fleet, Emily Hall from Nottingham added to the British medal haul with a well-deserved bronze medal on the final day rounding off a fantastic event for Team GBR.

Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, commented: “All in all this is an excellent performance for the British team at this regatta, the sailors held their nerve in a notoriously tricky venue to remain consistent and come out on top at the end of what I imagine was a long, tough week of competition.

“To be on top at both under 17 and under 15 level and to have other GBR sailors on the podium as well is a remarkable achievement for British Windsurfing, and particularly pleasing.

Truswell concluded: “Credit must go to the small pool of RYA Zone and National Junior Squad Coaches who I know have worked so hard with these guys over the winter months throughout the last few years. I very much look forward to seeing how they progress – I hope once they have had a bit of down time the passion will burn even brighter for these young sailors.”

For more information about the event and for full results visit www.techno293.org/page0143v01.htm