Silver Medal For New Zealand Youth Sailor

Silver Medal For New Zealand Youth Sailor

Kiwi Youth sailor, Jo Aleh has won a silver medal at the ISAF World Youth Championships in Poland, where racing concluded overnight.

I'm stoked! It was a hard regatta with such different conditions; It's been tricky sailing all week. It was pretty cool to finish the regatta with silver,_ says Aleh.

Aleh finished 6th in last years World Youth Champs, and she has sailed consistently well to pull through into the medal count overnight. Yachting New Zealand's National Programmes Coordinator Julie Worth comments, _Jo has a great mental toughness. She won the P Class Tanner Cup in 2002 and she has proven once again she can perform at major events. Coming from a non-sailing family, this result is even more fantastic._

Laser sailor Blair McLay finished the regatta on a high note winning the last race to finish 8th overall. At only 17 years of age, McLay has yet another opportunity to try and represent New Zealand at this event. He will certainly be building on what he has learnt at this event to get into the medal count next year.

Boardsailor Hayley Thom sailed a consistent regatta. Competing against an Olympic representative (Polish sailor Zofia Klepacka) at a youth level is always a tough challenge. Thom now returns to New Zealand for a few weeks before heading to Athens, after winning a scholarship to attend an International Olympic Youth Camp, held in Athens at the same time as the Olympics.

Final Results

Laser Radial - Jo Aleh (Kohimarama Yacht Club) - 2nd
Laser - Blair McLay (Torbay Sailing Club) - 8th
Mistral Girls - Hayley Thom (Kohimarama Yacht Club) - 7th
Mistral Boys - Antonio Cozzolino (Mistral Owners Association) - 19th
Hobie 16 Open - Michael Thorpe / Rosie Sargisson - 8th
420 Girls - Olivia Powrie / Sarah Bilkey (Kohimarama Yacht Club) - 12th
420 Boys - Alastair Thompson / Scott Illingworth - 15th

The Yachting New Zealand Youth Sailing Team is proudly sponsored by:
New Zealand Academy of Sport, New Zealand International Yachting Trust, ASB Bank, New Zealand Community Trust, Line 7 and adidas Eyewear

Did you know: More than 2/3rds of New Zealander's say they are interested in yachting (source: NBR Compaq poll)

Yachting New Zealand is the National body for competitive and recreational sailing in New Zealand. We represent the needs and interests of over 160 member clubs and class associations throughout New Zealand as we work toward our goal of ensuring Yachting remains a lifelong activity of choice for New Zealanders, and one of the leading international sports, on and off the water.