Finally, top spot for Williams

ISAF rank no 1 for Britain's match racer Ian Williams

Ian Williams, who is sponsored by print and electronic media company Pindar, today became the World Number One match racing sailor. In confirming first place at the head of the ISAF International Sailing Federation) World Match Race Rankings, Ian knocked Sebastien Col (FRA) off the top spot, a position he has held for the past seven months. This is the first time any British sailor has led the ISAF World Match Race Rankings in the history of the classification, crowning Ian as the nation’s most successful match racing sailor.

Ian, 30, who is based in Southampton, UK has been ranked in the top ten of the ISAF World Match Race Open Rankings since July 2003. Ian broke into the top five in October 2005 while he was taking a sabbatical from his work as a solicitor in London to concentrate on his match racing. Having now won three grade one match racing events, as well as winning his biggest international event to date in Bermuda last year, Ian is now sailing full time and has been steadily climbing the ladder over the past two years.

The ISAF Match Race Rankings are calculated by adding together a sailor’s best four result scores from international events in each of the last two years. Events are graded by ISAF according to strict criteria, which relate to the stature of the event. The ISAF Match Race Rankings are released approximately once a month throughout the season. Previous top Britons include Chris Law and Andy Green.

Ian Williams commented: “It is particularly satisfying for me to have reached the number one spot exactly two years after having taken up sailing full time. During this time I have been able to concentrate on developing a strong, consistent team, especially with the support of Pindar, which I think has been reflected in our recent performance. Getting to number one is a great achievement but the hardest part will be defending the position.”

Andrew Pindar, Chairman of the Pindar Group commented: “Being crowned World Number One is a fantastic achievement for Ian and a goal I know he has been working towards for many years. To be both leading the current World Match Racing Tour and to top the ISAF Match Race Rankings puts Ian in an incredibly strong position for the remainder of the season and is a testament to his dedication to the sport. As a long-term supporter of sailing we at Pindar are proud to be associated with the world’s best as well as being great believers in developing tomorrow’s talent.”