Sam Meech is Tauranga's newest world champion after winning the 2011 Laser Junior World Championship title at the weekend in La Rochelle, France.

Sam Meech receives his prize as new world champion. Photo: supplied.

'It is really cool to have won the regatta,” says Sam.

'I went to the event aiming to win, so I am really happy to have achieved it.
'The conditions were great for sailing, although we could have done without the rain earlier on in the week.

'We ended up getting about 10-15knots just about every day so it was easy to get all the races completed.”
More accustomed to competing alongside the world's best in the Olympic class senior laser fleet at ISAF World Cup Sailing Regattas, Meech fits the under-21 age bracket required to compete for this junior world title, and he made it look easy.
'The format of four qualifying days made all the results really close,” says Sam.

'It was really good for me as it kept the pressure on right until the last race.”
Up against 147 junior laser sailors from around the world, Sam won eight races across the 12 race series and only finished outside the top two in one race.

Sam finished the regatta nine points clear of the silver medallist, Alex Mills-Barton from Great Britain.
Martin Evans, also from Great Britain, claimed the bronze.

Sam, who represents the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club is the youngest of five laser sailors in Yachting New Zealand's NZL Sailing Team.

In 2009 he won gold for New Zealand at the prestigious ISAF Youth World Championships and was named joint winner of the 2009 New Zealand Young Sailor of the Year.