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The 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship is set to be one of the biggest ever with 59 nations and 250 sailors already signed up to compete in Denmark from 10-19 July.

New Zealand team for 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships

Events	Equipment	Sailors
Boy's One Person Dinghy	Laser	Sam MEECH
Girl's One Person Dinghy	Laser Radial	Cushla HUME-MERRY
Boy's Two Person Dinghy	29er	Paul SNOW-HANSEN and Ben GOODWIN
Girl's Two Person Dinghy	29er	Alexandra MALONEY and Bianca BARBARICH-BACHER
Boy's Windsurfer	Neil Pryde RS:X with the 8.5m rig	Josh NIXON
Girl's Windsurfer	Neil Pryde RS:X with the 8.5m rig	Jazmine LYNCH
Open Multihull	Sirena SL16	Francisco LARDIES and David HAZARD

This is a team of extremely talented young sailors, four of whom have the experience of having been in the team in previous years.

Not only will the New Zealand sailors be looking for medals in their respective classes, they will also be looking for a good performance in the Volvo Trophy presented to the best performing nation. In 2007 the New Zealand team was the third nation behind Australia and Denmark.

Paul SNOW-HANSEN helmed the double-handed 29er to a silver medal performance in 2007 at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Weymouth, Great Britain and is back this year with Ben GOODWIN of Napier as his crew. GOODWIN was also a team member in 2007 competing then in the Hobie 16 and finishing sixth overall.

For Wellington Laser Radial sailor, Cushla HUME-MERRY, this will be her third year in the national youth team having represented New Zealand in both 2006 and 2007. A recent highlight for HUME-MERRY was her performance at the Laser Radial Class Youth World Championship sailed in Auckland in March of this year. She won silver narrowly missing the girl's title after a close fought battle with reigning Youth Worlds Champion, Australia's Gabrielle KING.

Josh NIXON is the fourth member of the 2008 team that has Youth Worlds experience under his belt. NIXON, who is a training partner of Olympian and RS:X World Champion Tom ASHLEY, was in Kingston, Canada in 2007 for the Youth Worlds where he finished seventh overall.

The girl's 29er pairing is one to watch. Helm, Alexandra MALONEY was top female at the 2007 Optimist World Championships finishing third overall in the enormous 250-boat fleet. Now sailing with Bianca BARBARICH-BACHER as crew, who has some solid international campaigning in her sailing career, the pair has edged out talented Wellington sisters Sarah BERRY and Emma BERRY for the girl's double-handed spot this year.

Sam MEECH won out in the selection race for the Laser spot after a tight battle with Andy MALONEY and Jason SAUNDERS in the trial events. For MEECH from Tauranga this will be his first Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship.

Francisco LARDIES and David HAZARD will represent New Zealand in the multihull fleet in Århus, Denmark. This year the boat being used for the first time is the Sirena SL16.

The NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team sponsors include…
NZL Yachting Trust
New Zealand Academy of Sport
ASB
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Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship - www.sailing.org/youthworlds