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Sari Multala (FIN) has repeated her Pre-Worlds performance but this time on the biggest stage by winning the 2009 Laser Radial World Championship. It is MULTALA's first Laser Radial World Championship title and the perfect antidote to her heartbreak of two years ago when she came within a second of winning the World title, just missing out in a photo-finish to Belarus's Tatiana Drozdovskaya in the Medal Race at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais.

Silver when to French skipper Sophie De Turckheim , who this week outshone her teammate and defending World Champion Sarah Steyaert (FRA) to win her second Laser Radial World Championship silver medal. Olympic Champion and ISAF Sailing World Cup leader Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) completed the podium in third place.

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World Championship Photo Gallery

The conditions have been similar throughout the regatta and today was no exception. It has been tough but exhilarating sailing conditions with 15 to 18 knot NNE winds, choppy seas and a swell that increases during the day.

Multala kept a calm head and worked her way from third at the first mark into first place to win race 11 and the championship. She impressed with her skill on reaches and downwind legs to secure five wins and nine top ten finishes over the six days of racing.

A good battle for second took place between De Turckheim of France and Tunnicliffe from the USA. It came down to the last race. De Turchkeim bounced back from the disappointment of a BFD in race 10 to sail well today and gain a second and fifth to clinch second place overall. TUNNICLIFFE has sailed a very consistent regatta with only one placing outside the top ten until today's 15th place in race 11. It was another good day for Marit Bouwmeester from The Netherlands with a third and a fifth today to improve to fourth position overall. China's Lijia Xu saw her podium chances disappear when she placed 16th in today's first race, but came back strongly to finish with a second place in race 12 and take fifth overall.

Completing the top 10 overall are: Evi van Acker (BEL) in sixth; 2008 World Champion Steyaert seventh; Annalise Murphy (IRL) eight; Alberte Lindberg (DEN) ninth; and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) in tenth.

In the silver fleet (for position 45-88 overall), Ashley Stoddart from Australia showed her dominance with two bullets today. As the second youngest competitor she is going to be a sailor to watch for the future, as she also showed with a recent sixth place finish at the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Buzios, Brazil. Claire Dennis from USA maintained her second place in the silver fleet from Jennifer Spalding from Canada in third and local sailor Wakako Tabata from Japan in fourth. TABATA has shown a steady improvement over the regatta.

The sailors have really enjoyed the whole experience of this regatta and have high praise for the support and friendliness they have received from the people of Karatsu. Tomorrow, measurement begins for the Youth and Open Championships with race one starting on Wednesday 5 August.

Results - click here