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Championship winner returns home

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Australian SailGP wing trimmer Kyle Langford has surprised his hometown of Lake Macquarie with the championship trophy as part of the team’s regional tour.

Langford visited Coal Point Public School last week, surprising students with the 2.5-kilogram sterling silver and 24-carat gold plated SailGP trophy.

He shared his successes and challenges as an athlete, as well as his journey to become a part of the successful Australian SailGP team.

“It was surreal to be sharing my story with the young people in the hall where I also once sat as a student,” he said.

“I hope that by sharing my own story as a local kid, who once sailed in Lake Macquarie and is now representing Australia in SailGP, that I will inspire some of the students to head down to their local sailing club and give the sport a try.

“It’s so important that we encourage the next generation to get involved in sailing and continue the strong legacy of sailing in Australia, which is what we hope to achieve from our regional trophy tour.”

Langford and his members of the Australian team will take the SailGP trophy on the road over the next few weeks, visiting six regional communities in total, to inspire the next generation of young sailors and promote the high-adrenaline league.

SailGP Season 1 featured five events around the globe – Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes (UK) and Marseille (France) – and six national teams went head to head on the world’s fastest sail racing boats.

The Australians held the upper hand over the rival Japanese team and the rest of the fleet for much of the season, which culminated with a single, 10-minute match race between the top two teams to determine the historic first-ever champion.

Just over a month ago, Langford and the Australia SailGP Team earned the Season 1 title and a winner-takes-all prize of US $1 million with a victory over Japan in the Championship Final Race in Marseille.

Langford said he was grateful for all the support he received from the Lake Macquarie community.

“I wanted to repay that support by taking the trophy home to celebrate with the community that has played a crucial role in shaping who I am and that supported my childhood dreams of sailing professionally,” he said.

The Lake Macquarie regional trophy tour marked the 112-day countdown to the Season 2 opener for SailGP, which takes place on the iconic Sydney Harbour on 28 and 29 February.

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