She is coached by her father Nicolas, who was also an international competitor, and their family relationship often causes them difficulties.

But Byte Cll sailor Lara would not have it any other way. She said: "When I am at a competition, I could not have someone else coaching me. They would not understand me."

Nicolas introduced his daughter to the sport when she was only seven.

"In light winds, I could see straight away that she was going to be good," he said.

"But I am her dad and sometimes it is difficult for me to talk to her as a coach, so I get one of the others to do it to give a different point of view."

Now Lara often finished in front of her dad when they sail together at the Naivasha Yacht Club, 90 kilometres from Nairobi.

"He does not like it when I beat him and he will never admit it to my mum," said Lara.

She left the French school in Nairobi at the beginning of 2010 and is now taught at home by her mum Krishna.

After the Youth Olympic Games, she will travel to France to attend the CREPS PACA multi-sport elite performance centre.

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