Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley won the female under-19 world championship title, while also securing silver in the overall female division, to spearhead New Zealand’s triumph in the coveted Nations Cup.
Awarded to the highest-performing nation across the championship, the Nations Cup capped a remarkable week for the five-strong Kiwi team, which achieved the rare feat of qualifying all five crews for the gold fleet — reserved for the top 50 boats after qualifying — from a fleet of nearly 300 entries.
Three New Zealand crews also finished inside the overall top 10, with Nelsen Meacham and Oli Stone placing fourth, Matteo Barker and Leo Brown seventh, and Blake Batten and Hugo Smith 10th.
After finishing 13th at last year’s Youth Sailing World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, Jenkins and Handley returned to Europe determined to take another step forward and delivered a consistently outstanding regatta.
‘‘It’s an incredible feeling to help the team win the Nations Cup, but being second female overall and winning the under-19 title makes it even more special,’’ Jenkins said.
‘‘We don’t have big fleets back home, so being able to race against 50 boats in the gold fleet and perform like we did shows we can compete at the highest level.’’
Yachting New Zealand’s talent development manager Geoff Woolley said Jenkins’ and Handley’s success was reward for months of dedication.
Theirs was a ‘‘significant achievement, and we’re incredibly proud of them’’, he said.— Allied Media
