Auckland teenagers Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher are on top of the yachting world after winning the women's 420 world championship crown in Italy this morning (NZT).
The pair from the Murrays Bay Sailing Club held their nerve on the final day of the regatta off Riva del Garda to
claim the title by nine points from Italians Camilla Marino and Claudia Soricelli.
Holding onto a narrow second place after five of eight races, Maloney, 17, and Barbarich-Bacher, 16, set themselves up perfectly on the final day by winning the sixth race.
They were fourth in the seventh and 16th in the final race to top the 84-strong field and complete a brilliant transition from the junior ranks.
The pair have twice represented New Zealand at the youth world championships, coming fourth in the 29er class last year and fourth earlier this year in the 420 division.
In 2007, Maloney signalled her talent to the sailing world when placing third at the Optimist world championships.
Barbarich-Bacher has the experience of international campaigning in the Olympic 470 class, as crew for Shelley Hesson during the last Olympic buildup.
There was further success for New Zealand in the Open 420 event on the same course today, where Francisco Lardies and Finn Drummond placed a narrow second behind the Greek crew of Antonios Tsimpoukelis and George Karonis.
The New Zealanders finished just three points behind their rivals as the two crews powered clear of the rest of the field.
Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock were seventh while James Turner and Marcus Hansen were 12th in an excellent display of New Zealand depth.
Meanwhile, experienced New Zealand sailors Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk have hit the lead with a day remaining at the Star world championships in Varberg, Sweden.
With four out of six races sailed, Pepper and Monk are in the box seat, holding an eight-point lead over Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube of the United States.
The 86-boat completed two races overnight, with the New Zealanders winning the first and placing 11th in the second to improve from fifth place.
This is Pepper and Monk's first season together in the Olympic Star class and their first world championship as a pair.
Pepper is a former Star world champion, having won in 2006 with Carl Williams.
- NZPA
Alexandra Maloney (L) and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher have made a sensational transition from the junior ranks. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times
Auckland teenagers Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher are on top of the yachting world after winning the women's 420 world championship crown in Italy this morning (NZT).
The pair from the Murrays Bay Sailing Club held their nerve on the final day of the regatta off Riva del Garda to
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