Mari Davies wins RYA Cymru-Wales Youth Champion Award
by Hamish Stuart, RYA Cymru-Wales 18 Mar 2015 14:27 GMT
18 March 2015
A promising 17-year-old sailor has started a busy year as the winner of the RYA Cymru-Wales Youth Champion Award.
Bethesda schoolgirl Mari Davies is already a European bronze medallist as well as coaching youngsters on a regular basis at Pwllheli, while this summer she is taking her A Levels as well as competing in the World and European Championships.
She is hoping to go to university to study medicine, while also joining a Great Britain transitional squad as she looks to build on her sailing achievements.
"It was great to receive the award at the Dinghy Show, quite a surprise and quite a day," she admitted.
"I had never been to the Dinghy Show before so it felt bigger because there were so many people there. Plus we received the award from Nick Thompson who had been giving this talk about his preparations for the Rio Olympics, someone who has been there, done it and is still doing it.
"I heard I had been nominated by Gwyndaf Hughes at Pwllheli, I go back to the club to help with the coaching as much as I can because that is where I started and I like to give something back as much as I can.
"However when I got the letter saying I was the Youth Champion for Wales that came as a real surprise."
Davies won a bronze medal at the European Championships last year along with sailing partner Sarah Norbury. She is studying chemistry, biology and Welsh at Ysgol Duffryn Ogwen, hoping to go on to take a medicine degree.
"After this year I am planning to take a gap year, they have set up a new GB transitional squad so myself and Sarah will move up to the 470 boat and see how that goes.
"This summer we have the world championships in Japan in July, then the Europeans in Bulgaria in August, then we will be staying out in Bulgaria for extra training as part of the transitional squad.
"I will be applying for university as well so we can monitor the situation going forward. I would like to qualify as a doctor, but I also want to carry on sailing competitively. The example quoted to me is Wales rugby international Jamie Roberts who is also a qualified doctor."
Davies received her award along with the 13 regional winners at the official awards presentation at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show.
The awards which were created just last year recognise the outstanding achievement and performance of young people across the range of activities the RYA - boating's national governing body - represents, including sailing, windsurfing and powerboating.
RYA Chief Executive Sarah Treseder said: "We're delighted to celebrate the talents of the many young sailors, windsurfers and powerboaters who are achieving amazing things across the UK".
For more information on the RYA Regional Youth Champion Awards visit www.rya.org.uk/go/youthchampion
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