A University of Bristol student has won a Gold Medal in the Ladies 2007 International 420 European Sailing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

Physics and philosophy student Claire Walsh and her crew Jasmine Husbant competed alongside 54 other European entrants over a seven-day period.  The competition was very close with the entrants vying for the final five top positions in the last race.

Following her win at the European Championships, Claire has qualified for Olympic funding and will now compete in a bigger Olympic class boat. 

Claire is also a member of the University’s High Performance Squad, which provides support for talented athletes in all aspects of their training including, sports psychology, nutrition and strength and conditioning.

The number 420 in the race title describes the type of and overall length of the boat in centimetres (the boat is exactly 4.2 metres long). The boat has a maximum crew of two and was designed as a training boat for the larger Olympic class 470.

The event took place between July 24 and August 2. 

For the race results visit the following URL: www.istanbulyelken.org.tr/420european/result/lastday/ladies.htm