Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Laser Radial World Championship - Paige Railey claims bronze

by Dana Paxton on 8 Oct 2013
Paige Railey Walter Cooper /US Sailing http://ussailing.org/
With a victory in the final race at the 2013 Laser Radial World Championship, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athlete Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) captured a bronze medal. Racing took place Oct. 1-7, in Rizhao, China, where a total 77 athletes competed in the series, which consisted of a six-race qualifying series and a six-race final series.

On the final day, Railey was standing in fourth place overall and had two races to sail and move up to the podium. She finished 15th in the first of the day, which only made the final race win sweeter. 'Literally I was focused on one point at a time,' Railey said. 'The first race went bad. It was one of those situations where you push forward from it. After the first race, I went up to Mark [Littlejohn, her coach] and was slightly bummed. He said ‘Go for it’, and that’s what I did. I took everything we had talked about and put it together. This is the stuff we’re training for – for Rio – it will be challenging at times in the Olympic Games regatta, and it’s good to practice for those times.'

She went on to explain that it wasn’t her goal to focus on the podium. 'Mark and I weren’t excited about me getting bronze or fourth,' she explained. 'We didn’t’ focus on the end results; it was all about our process of improving. You could see by my results all week that I was going well. The best part about it was Mark and I learned a lot about what I can improve on.'

The racing conditions were moderate and puffy the entire week. 'Conditions were tricky, but they are my favorite conditions to sail in,' she explained. 'You could be next to a girl and she could be in completely different wind. That’s the stuff I grew up with. A lot of Americans grew up in it and we excel in it. On a positive note, it’s something we can expect in Rio.'

While she takes a bronze medal from this Laser Radial World championship, it’s the overall takeaway that stands out. 'You can only control your own actions, not the actions of others,' she said. 'If there is someone having a great race, you have to focus on your own boat, because you never know, it could come down to the last race and get you a bronze.'

The bronze caps off a strong year in the Laser Radial for Railey, who won silver at Kiel Week, in June, and gold at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, in January.

US Sailing Development Team member Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Fla.) finished 11th in the silver fleet (50th overall), while Christine Persson (Weston, Fla.) finished 37th in silver (76th US Sailing website
Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangePredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 BOTTOM

Related Articles

And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins.
Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success.
Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion.
Posted on 21 Sep
Germany Deutsche Bank claim first SailGP event win
Race Day 2 of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva.
Posted on 21 Sep
SailGP: Germany score first Event win - Day 2
The German crew led by Erik Heil sailed consistently, on a day where inconsistency was punished. Perhaps it was not surprising that in a nation known for its horology, that the time-clock should have played such a dominant role for the Final day of SailGP Switzerland.
Posted on 21 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week day 4
At the end of the city's main shopping street, spectators could watch the racing The penultimate day of the Dutch Water Week brought Olympic-class sailing and windsurfing right into the heart of Almere.
Posted on 21 Sep
America's Cup: Controversial agreement signed
According to Italian media, the secret AC Partnership agreement has been signed by CoR/D* International sailing journalist, Fabio Pozo, writing for the Milan based newspaper La Stampa, reports that the secret America's Cup Partnership (ACP) agreement is expected to be signed next week.
Posted on 21 Sep
Women's Match Racing Worlds in Chicago overall
History made: Match in Pink Team wins fifth consecutive title Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team from Le Havre in France have once again proven their dominance in the sport of match racing, capturing their fifth consecutive World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship title
Posted on 21 Sep
Race to the Finish with Paprec Arkéa
Zhik is the official gear partner for The Ocean Race Europe The Ocean Race Europe has again proven why it is one of the most demanding tests in sailing. With Zhik as the official gear partner, the Paprec Arkéa crew faced the extremes of Europe's waters equipped for the challenge.
Posted on 21 Sep
J/105 North American Championship overall
Randy's Hecht's Niuhi three-peats as champion In the finale of the J/105 North American Championship, Randy Hecht claimed victory for the third time, with crew Russ Silvestri, Ethan Doyle, Maggie Bacon, David Janinis and Stephen Marsh.
Posted on 21 Sep