Sail Canada introduces its team for the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships

Sail Canada introduces its team for the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships © Sail Canada

Sail Canada is pleased to introduce its 12-member team that will represent the country at the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships to be held in Búzios, Brazil, December 8-16.

Two members of past Canadian teams at the Youth Sailing World Championships will be back: Annalise Balasubramanian in Women's ILCA 6, as well as Nathan Pearce in Men's Kiteboarding. The 10 other members will be taking part in this competition for the first time, including Thomas Hung in iQFoil as Canada will take part in this event for the very first time at the Youth Sailing World Championships.

The sailors were selected after being the top Canadians at the Sail Canada 2023 Youth Championships for the 29er and ILCA 6 classes, at the 2023 U.S. Youth Championships in the iQFoil and i420 classes, or at the Sail Canada 2023 Kiteboarding Championships in Kiteboarding.

Sail Canada's National Training Centre Coach-West Kyle Martin (B.C.) will be the Team Leader and will be accompanied by coaches Stephen Waldie (Sail Nova Scotia/Sail Canada's National Training Centre Coach-East) and Rosie Chapman (Canadian ILCA 6 coach), who will coach the ILCA 6 athletes.

At last year's Youth Sailing World Championships, Annie Balasubramanian took the 12th spot in ILCA 6 in The Hague, Netherlands, recording the best Canadian performance in this class since 2009. The member of Sail Canada's Development Squad will take part in her third consecutive Youth Sailing World Championships.

"I am super excited to be representing Canada at the Youth World Championships for the third time," said Annie Balasubramanian. "Leading up to these Worlds in December, I am going to be training on and off the water as much as possible both at Queen's University, where I go to school, and in places like Victoria, B.C., California, and Miami! At each World Championships that I have competed in, I have learned so much and the experience gained from the past two championships has been invaluable. I'm looking forward to building on that knowledge to give it my all this time around!"

The Youth Sailing World Championships are an important stepping stone for the sailors as they progress towards the Canadian Sailing Team and Development Squad. The event has been held annually since 1971 except for the 2020 edition, which was cancelled because of the pandemic. Among the many sailors who have competed in past editions of the Youth Sailing World Championships are Georgia Lewin-LaFrance, Ryan Wood, Coralie Vittecoq, Sam Bonin, Ryan Anderson and Clara Gravely, as well as 2020 Tokyo Olympic Canadian Team member Ali ten Hove in 2012 and 2013.

At last year's World Youth Championships, a total of 450 youth sailors 19 years of age or less represented approximately 70 countries from all over the world in the 11 events held.

Canadian team members for the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships

ILCA 6 (W)
Annie Balasubramanian (Toronto, ON-RCYC)

ILCA 6 (M)
Sullivan Nakatsu (Hammonds Plains, N.S.-RNSYS)

29er (W)
Johanna Pickart (Bald Rock, N.S.-RNSYS)
Rebecca Driscoll (Glen Haven, N.S.-CYC)

29er (M)
Thomas Desrochers (Toronto, ON- PCYC)
Ford Amery (Toronto, ON- PCYC & RCYC)

i420 (W)
Maggie Tripp (Toronto, ON-RCYC)
Claire Podolsky (Toronto, ON-RCYC)

i420 (M)
Nikhil Damji (Vancouver, B.C.-WVYC)
Emil Damji (Vancouver, B.C.-WVYC)

iQFoil (M)
Thomas Hung (Vancouver, B.C.-RVYC)

Kiteboarding (M)
Nathan Pearce (North Vancouver, B.C.-RVYC)

More information can be found on Sail Canada's website at www.sailing.ca.