Yesterday's eighth place result at the 87-boat women's Laser Radial World Championships in Japan was secured In a fleet that included American Olympic Gold Medallist Anna Tunnicliffe and Chinese Bronze medalist, Lijia Xu.
The Championship was won by Finland's Sari Multala who counted five race wins in her scores, allowing her to sit out the final race.
The 21-year-old National Yacht Club sailor improved throughout the 12-race series, where individual scores included a second placing, moving the UCD mathematics student from fifteenth to tenth in the penultimate days sailing in Karatsu.
Above: Annalise Murphy from Ireland leading the 9th race of the Laser Radial Womens Worlds on Saturday 1st August in Karatsu, Japan, followed by Lijia Xu from China (Olympic Bronze medalist) and Sari Multala of Finland, the World Champion. Annalise finished 2nd in this race.
In spite of snagging her centerboard with weed and floating sticks in the final race that dropped her seven places, Murphy ended the series yesterday (Saturday) with a fourth and a 14th to move up the scoreboard again to eighth overall.
Seventh overall was in prospect as Murphy came ashore but a protest against a Chinese competitor was not upheld.
The top eight result was applauded by officials at home last night as a welcome upturn in Olympic sailing fortunes here. The World Championship follows Murphy's Europa Cup win a month ago in Holland.
The last top ten result Olympic result was David Burrows third overall at the Finn Gold Cup in 2003 but in the context of Irish women's sailing results the best previous was seven years ago when Maria Coleman scored seventh in the Europe dinghy world championships in 2002.
Also competing in Japan were Belfasts Tiffany Brien in 35th and Annalise's sister Claudine who finished 14th in the silver fleet.
Laser Radial World Championships, Japan. Gold Fleet – 44 boats: 1 FIN Sari Multala, 8 IRL Annalise Murphy, 35 IRL Tiffany Brien. Silver Fleet – 43 boats: 1 AUS Ashley Stoddart, 14 IRL Claudine Murphy
