A ‘DELIGHTED’ Rugby teenager has been crowned a sailing world champion at his first international event, just three years after first getting hooked on the sport following a beginners’ course.
Hari Clark, 13, won the Topper 4.2 World Championship title at Mar Menor in Spain after winning 10 of the 15 races in a 39-boat international fleet.
Hari, who lives in Dunchurch, said: “I’m delighted to be the Topper 4.2 World Champion. As it was my first international event, I was a bit surprised to win!
Hari said he was ‘a bit surprised’ to win. Picture by Richard Clark
“It was tough to keep focused and hydrated over the five days’ racing as it was very hot.
“Massive thanks to Steve Irish and everyone else who has coached me, as well as our club manager Dave Rowe and his team at Draycote Water SC for all their help and support.”
Hari progressed from a beginners’ course at Draycote Water Sailing Club to sailing regularly for fun with the youth and junior section, and first started racing in Autumn 2022.
The Lawrence Sheriff School student quickly moved up into the club’s Draycote Academy, which coaches aspiring young racing sailors who want to compete at the top level nationally and internationally.
Steve Irish, head coach at Draycote Academy, said: “Hari has worked so hard at improving his sailing and he never gives up, training both with the Academy and independently in all conditions, including throughout the most demanding and coldest days of winter.
“He thoroughly deserves this fantastic result.”
Club president Jeremy Atkins added: “We’re extremely proud of Hari on what we believe to be an unprecedented achievement of going from no experience at all just three years ago to being on top of the world!”
In the larger Topper 5.3 class, Rugby High School’s Jess Powell finished 10th overall in a fleet of 138 boats. She was the second placed GBR boat, while a sailor from China took the world championship win.
