A TEENAGE sailor from North Yorkshire has been selected to compete at the Youth Sailing World Championships this summer.

Slingsby’s Matthew Rayner, 17, is among 14 promising young British sailors to have been chosen to take part in the prestigious event in Lake Garda, Italy, on July 13-20.

Over the years, the event has been a springboard for the sport’s best, including five-time Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie, and Hannah Mills OBE, the world’s most successful male and female Olympic sailors.

Matthew, who is a member of Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, has been selected alongside Wales’ Arwen Fflur as Great Britain’s representatives in the mixed two-person dinghy event in the 420 class.

The move comes following the pair’s winning display at the RYA Youth National Championships last month, and will see Matthew follow in his brother Oliver’s footsteps to compete at the event.

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Competitors from over 70 countries will participate in the Youth Sailing World Championships, billed as a platform for young sailing stars up to the age of 19 to showcase their skills.

The North Yorkshire talent is delighted to have been given the opportunity to compete.

He enthused: “A lot of work has gone into this over the past few months, and it is an honour to be selected to compete at the Youth Worlds.

“I am looking forward to being able to prove myself at such an important event and to have the opportunity to race against the best youth sailors.”

Racing at the Youth Sailing World Championships gets underway on Monday, July 15. You can follow Great Britain’s progress at the event on the British Youth Sailing Instagram channel @BritishYouthSailing.