A young Wycombe sailor secured a medal for Britain at the sailing Youth World Championships.
The Wycombe - based 18-year-old Leo Wilkinson from Maidenhead Sailing Club won silver together with Santi Sesto Cosby (Lymington) at the championships held in The Hague, Netherlands on July 15.
Before competing in the male 29er fleet, Mr Wilkinson and Sesto Cosby teamed up only in early 2022 but have proved a formidable partnership.
Henley College student Leo Wilkinson said: “Winning silver at the Youth Worlds in Hague, was an amazing experience.
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“I feel so relieved to have achieved silver and excited to win silver, as all the hard work my helm and I have put into training has paid off. The racing was very tight which made it so challenging.
Winners are grinners 😀 (sort of)...
— British Youth Sailing (@RYAYouthSailing) July 15, 2022
Huge congratulations to Charlie Dixon 🥇 and Santi Sesto-Cosby/Leo Wilkinson 🥈 on their @youthworlds success! pic.twitter.com/4FTpPi0icg
“Mostly, I enjoyed having the opportunity to socialise with other competitors and seeing how they work.
To secure silver, Mr Wilkinson and Sesto Cosby had to beat their Spanish rivals – who were on their heels the entire race.
Mr Wilkinson said: “The final race was super tense.
“We knew we had to keep the Spaniards behind us, so to cross the line one place ahead of them was amazing.”
Next Mr Wilkinson will move into the larger Olympic 49er class, while Mr Sesto Cosby teams up with a new crew at 29er class level.
Both intend to campaign for Los Angeles 2028 summer Olympics.
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