Ben Franklin
Queensland Academy of Sport team sailor Ben Franklin (17) completed a meteoric rise in Australian Laser Radial class racing with a stunning win in the 2010 National Championship on the Adelaide sailing Club course yesterday.
His performance described by QAS High Performance coach Adrian Finglas as one of the best results he has witnessed was a reward for the teenage sailor’s personal dedication.
“Ben is totally committed spending 80 hours a month with training and perfecting his boat handling technique and tactical skills”. Finglas said.
Last year the young mono sailor from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron was just another number in the fleet of talented youth skippers finishing 26thoverall.
However he was prepared to continue his struggle in racing with his race weary dinghy making sure that his personal technique and fitness was up to the challenge when he had the opportunity to afford and replace his wind fatigued sail and spars.
His personal tenacity became the key factor behind his success in Adelaide when the teenager overcame a Black Flag disqualification in the fifth heat of the qualifying series to claim a deserved Gold Medal ahead of the equally skilled Tasmanian Chris Jones.
Ben Franklin and his younger brother Josh (15) who finished 4th in the smaller rig Laser 4.7 are expected to continue with the intense training schedules over the next 48 hours before representing Yachting Queensland in the 2010 Australian Youth Championships over the Adelaide Sailing Club course.
Judging from their results the exceptionally talented brothers have a good tactical understanding of the unfamiliar course but the new championship event which will also decide the Australian team to contest the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World championship in Turkey from July 8-17 will again present a supreme test.
If Ben Franklin wins selection it will complete a deserved reward for the teenage Radial Laser sailor who successfully cast off his ‘struggler’ image of 2009 to become the Australian champion in 2010.
By Ian Grant.