Notts County Sailor living at West Bridgford Catherine Potter dominated the Olympic Class fleet at the United Kingdom Boardsailing Association's national series event at Hove.

The seventeen year-old Olympic prospect recorded four consecutive first places out of five races on the Sunday, winning the first race by a massive margin of two minutes twenty seconds in winds of twelve to seventeen knots.

Strong tidal movements posed problems for the competitors but Catherine excelled in the conditions, taking the right decisions to benefit from the tide and using the waves to increase her board speed downwind.

Catherine is now on the Royal Yachting Association's World Class Performance Programme and will benefit from lottery funding for the first time in the run up to the 2004 Olympics.

At the prizegiving, Mike Dempsey, UKWA Chairman, stated that it was the first time ever that a girl had won the Olympic Class outright at a UKWA event.

Catherine's Dad John said, 'I've not seen Catherine in this form since she won the World Silver Medal in the Aloha Class in 1999. We knew it was going to be tough in the Olympic Class given the experience of the other sailors and the level of competition, but Catherine is now putting it together. Also, Catherine has had her AS level exams to think about and this has meant less on-water time, but she can't rely on making a living out of windsurfing so schoolwork has to be done. She certainly has no time to get bored!'

Catherine's brother Richard also recorded his first event win at Hove in the under- seventeen Aloha Class. Thirteen year-old Richard had three first places, two seconds and a third and his consistency enabled him to take the win.

Richard has just been informed that he is to receive a £250 grant from Sportsaid, East Midlands, in recognition of his achievements in windsurfing.

He has been invited to the new National Space Centre at Leicester to receive his award certificate and enjoy the Space Centre experience-an evening he is really looking forward to! Richard and Catherine are members of of Notts County Sailing Club and are sponsored by Boardwise, Notts County Council and Carsington Sports and Leisure.

Catherine training at Notts County this summer