Britain took the ultimate prize at the 2010 RS Feva World Championships, Carnac, France, this weekend as RYA National Junior Squad teenagers Owen Bowerman and Charlie Darling topped the podium claiming RYA Team GBR’s first ever Junior World Title at the event. The pair also won the Open and Under-18 categories at the event picking up an impressive three World titles in total.
Ex-Junior Squad and current RYA 29er Transitional squad sailors Jack Hawkins and Christopher Thomas also picked up silver at the event making it a ‘1, 2’ for GBR and rounding off a fantastic showing at the event for the team. It was a high scoring five days of competition with the waters off Carnac Yacht Club throwing up a variety of conditions for the 140 boats in attendance giving the top sailors an opportunity to really push to their full potential over the week.
Havant’s Bowerman and Pytchley’s Darling, took it in their stride keeping their results the most consistent throughout the 14 races racking up a 15 point lead to claim the title in emphatic style. Bowerman commented: “It was a pretty tough competition – everyone has picked up a lot in the last year so it was pretty hard in the races to keep at the front. We’d been training really hard for the event with our coach Niall Myant which was just as well as we had to fight quite hard for our quite a few of our races.”
The event was the 13-year-old Hayling Island Sailing Club pair’s first World Championship and having come fourth at the Europeans and first at the Nationals last year they weren’t sure what to expect.
“We knew the Worlds was going to be tough so we just wanted to try and do the best we could and whatever we got was going to be good as we’ve been training really hard,” Darling said. “We’ve always been quite strong in the light winds but we’ve rounded off our performance this year and we’re now comfortable in all-conditions,” she continued. “When we found out we had come first we were cheering and screaming and jumping out of the boats! I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet – but by the end of the week I think I’ll suddenly go wow I’m world champion - it’s really exciting!”
RYA Double-Handed Pathway Manager Roy McCubbin was keen to highlight how much the class has grown this year and added his congratulations to his sailors: “As an international class the Feva has improved dramatically in size and level of competition. The Irish, Italian and Swedish competitors made it really hard fought out there. To have won the Open and Junior World titles is a fantastic achievement and it’s really a testament to the sailors hard work training and their coaches Niall Myant and Nicky Macgregor who have work with them both out in France and throughout the season.”
Elsewhere on the Junior World stage, RYA Team GBR’s windsurfer Emma Labourne picked up a silver medal in the Under-15 class at the 2010 Techno World Championships held in Martigues, France finishing over the weekend (24-31 July). The 13-year-old from Barrow-on-Humber kept it consistent during the testing and frustrating event maintaining focus despite hours of sitting waiting for the wind to fill in to or dye down as conditions of both extremes hit the race course arena.
RYA Techno National Junior Coach Oli Woodcock commented: “Emma had to really keep her focus during what turned out to be a really challenging week. Losing two days of racing to the conditions meant there was a lot of sitting around waiting and once we were out on the water pretty much every race counted. She kept it very consistent and her silver medal is well deserved.”
Stepping up into the Under-17 class for the first time this year, 15-year-old Kieran Martin, Cheadle, posted a respectable fourth at the event ahead of his Team GB outing to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in a week’s time (9-25th August).
Woodcock continued: “The 2010 Worlds saw the biggest entry in the events history and that coupled with the difficult conditions and a first taste of Under-17 competition meant Kieran had a lot on to medal. He showed great potential and if we had managed a few more races I think he would have push through onto the podium. it will have served as a good warm up for Youth Olympic Games. ”
For more information about the events and full results visit www.techno293.org/page0125v01.htm and www.rsfeva.org/worlds.