Northern Ireland's Adam Green finishes 5th at Topper World Championship in an "amazing" week
by Peter Gilmore 28 Jul 2025 04:51 PDT
19-25 July 2025
Topper World Championship at Medemblik, The Netherlands © ITCA
Northern Ireland's Adam Green defied expectations with an unbelievable performance at the Topper World Championship in Medemblik, The Netherlands. The 14-year-old finished fifth overall, beating sailors from all over the world, travelling from as far as China.
Green battled wild weather conditions across a week of racing, with everything from thunder and lightning storms to no wind at all. Through the adversity, Adam managed to keep a cool head and finish the competition strongly.
Following the event, he said: "It still hasn't fully sunk in! Racing against top sailors from all over the world felt a bit intimidating at first, but once I got into the racing, I realised I could actually hold my own.
"It was pretty amazing seeing my name further up the results sheet than I expected. On the penultimate night I was in 13th position and was hoping for a top 10 finish, but to come away in 5th was amazing. I've learned loads and gained confidence that I raced hard with these amazing sailors.
"The varied conditions mean you go from battling nature to just sitting and waiting. Staying mentally focused through all that uncertainty was tough. Trying to do the maths to work out positions was also very difficult as everyone had an inconsistent race or two.
"Next up I'm looking forward to the British Nationals in early August and hopefully I can secure another top 10 position. The RYA Youths nationals are in September, when I will be sailing for my school Banbridge Academy."
Adam has had a fantastic season so far and following an Irish National Championships win at his home club of Lough Erne Yacht Club, he has every right to look forward to the future with optimism.
He said: "I want to build on what I've learned here in Medemblik—better starts, sharper decisions, and more consistency across races. Long term? I'd love to represent Ireland at a major international regatta and perhaps one day the Olympics."
Adam will continue to train hard with the Northern Irish Sailing Team and everyone within the Northern Irish sailing community will have their eyes on the young man to see how he develops as a sailor in the coming years.
Full results can be found here.