BEN Ainslie may have a worthy successor to his Olympic Laser title in Mark Howard after the Lee-on-Solent sailor was selected for the Volvo Youth World Championships in Sydney over the New Year.
Howard, 18, won selection for the British Youth Sailing Team at the Volvo RYA Youth World Trials held in Falmouth which finished on Monday. He led the Laser fleet in the heavy winds over two days and convinced the selectors with a series of firsts in the last seven races following on from his silver medal at the Laser Youth European Championships in Germany.
"I'm over the moon to have been selected - all the hard work has paid off," he said.
"I've really been inspired by the performance of the Olympic team in Sydney, and I'll be training hard both in the UK and Australia so I'm as prepared as I can be. I'm hoping to win gold in Sydney and can't wait to get there."
Sailing is a strong tradition in the Howard family. Mark's elder brother Matt, now a Laser coach, won the same event in 1998, and went on to represent Great Britain at the 1998 Volvo Youth World's in South Africa.
Steve Joel, youth manager at the RYA said: "The Laser class is a tough competitive fleet and Mark has proved himself a worthy winner. He is especially strong in the heavier winds expected in Sydney.
The Volvo Youth World Championships take place between 28 December 2000 - 6 January 2001.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article