ISAF. Image, Xu LIJIA was one of the stars in Busan and led the Chinese team to sixth place in the Volvo Trophy:?Peter Bentley, Busan, Korea, 22 July 2005

After 73 races on Suyong Bay the 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship came to an end with the closing ceremony in Busan, Korea today. In a closely fought Championship all seven gold medals went to different nations, with Singapore winning for the first time ever at an ISAF Youth Worlds.

China To The Fore

In an ominous message to those looking towards Qingdao and the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, China picked up their first medal at only their second ever ISAF Youth Worlds and also finished sixth in the Volvo Trophy standings. The conditions experienced on Suyong Bay are expected to be similar to those that will be found in Qingdao making performances in Busan especially noteworthy. 2003 Youth Worlds Champion and three time winner on the senior circuit this year Paige RAILEY (USA) entered the Championship as a red hot favourite in the Laser Radial.

At the halfway stage everything seemed to be going as planned with the 18 year old holding a massive 26 point lead. The only sailor who challenged her on the water was China’s Xu LIJIA, although after going OCS in races three and four, she had to sail faultlessly in every remaining race. She did not disappoint, taking two bullets in races nine and ten to draw level with RAILEY at the top of the leaderboard before disaster struck.

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Xu LIJIA, Paige RAILEY and bronze medallist Alison YOUNG ?Peter Bentley

With racing on the final day abandoned, race eleven proved decisive to the outcome of the Laser Radial title. LIJIA started well and led by ten boat lengths as she approached the first windward mark, but in the heavy mist and she missed the wing mark, turned too late and fell down into the middle of the 31 strong fleet. Despite LIJIA managing to come back strongly and fight her way through to sixth place, RAILEY had seized her chance, taking her sixth bullet of the Championship, and although she did not know it at the time, her second ISAF Youth Worlds title.

In the sporting spirit that has come to epitomize the Championship LIJIA refused to blame her bad luck, instead choosing the see the incident as a valuable lesson. 'I am disappointed but it is good experience for me for the future. I use a compass in my Europe but don't have one here, but I am just beginning in the class so have to learn.'

RAILEY’s victory in the Laser Radial capped a return to form for the Americans. Despite only entering five of the seven events, they finished fourth in the Volvo Trophy standings and Megen MAGILL and Briana PROVANCHA (USA) won silver in the 420 girls, the first medal for the USA in this event since 1992. After a very closely fought series Mariana BASILIO and Gabriel BIEKARCK (BRA) came in third behind MAGILL and PROVANCHA to win Brazil’s first medal since 1998, and their first ever medal for a girls team. Their result, together with top ten places in the Hobie 16, Mistral girls and Laser events, saw Brazil climb to ninth in the Volvo Trophy standings and repeated their performance of 2004, coming away as the most successful South American nation.

Despite the problems with visibility, the Laser Radial girls fleet completed both scheduled races. After winning the first race to level the scores with the USA's Paige RAILEY, China's Xu LIJIA had made a confident start and was leading the penultimate race of the series by ten boat lengths by the first windward mark but could not find the wing mark in the poor visibility. The chasing pack found it first and she dropped into the depths of the fleet, rescuing a sixth place.

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Just three races remain to decide  the medallists at this year's ISAF Youth Worlds ? worldyouthsailing.busan		China's Xu LIJIA has been one of the stars of the ISAF Youth Worlds in Busan ?Peter Bentley

'It was difficult for me because I have no compass and we were all looking and by the time one of the others had found it I had gone too far and the race was lost. I am disappointed but it is good experience for me for the future. I use a compass in my Europe but don't have one here, but I am just beginning in the class so have to learn,' said LIJIA.

Pos	Nation	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	Pts
1	USA	Paige RAILEY	1	2	1	1	2	1	(13)	1	(32) OCS	7	1	17
2	CHN	Xu LIJIA	2	1	(32) OCS	(32) OCS	1	3	5	2	1	1	6	22
3	GBR	Alison YOUNG	(13)	3	7	(14)	3	7	1	5	5	4	2	37
4	CRO	Tina MIHELIC	7	(12)	4	3	6	(19)	2	9	6	12	3	52
5	DEN	Alberte Holm LINDBERG	6	6	9	(32) OCS	(16)	4	3	12	4	9	5	58
6	ESP	Lucia REYES	(14)	7	(18)	8	11	2	10	7	7	3	4	59
7	GER	Janika PULS	12	4	14	11	7	(20)	(20)	6	2	2	7	65
8	POL	Katarzyna PIC	5	(13)	12	10	9	9	9	4	9	(18)	10	77
9	CHI	Arantza GUMUCIO	3	16	5	2	12	(17)	4	17	(18)	6	14	79
10	NZL	Olivia POWRIE	8	(21)	6	(32) OCS	8	8	11	13	8	5	15	82