MALAYSIAN SAILORS TO TRAIN UNDER OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- The lure of the Monsoon Sailing School
(MSS) has proved irresistible to Australia's Olympic champions Tessa Parkinson
and Belinda Stowell, who have come on board as coaches for the MSS to train
Malaysian sailors.

Parkinson, who won the Olympic gold in the 470 class with Elise Rechichi in
Beijing two years ago, is among five coaches for the four-day MSS which will be
opened by Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek, next Thursday.

"I am delighted to be here in Malaysia for the MSS and I'm sure it will be a
unique experience for me and the sailors. I'm looking forward to working with
some of Malaysia's best sailors," said Parkinson in a statement, here Thursday.

Parkinson, who works with the Yachting Foundation in Western Australia,
agreed to coach in Malaysia through her links with her mentor Peter Gilmour, who
is the Monsoon Cup Race Advisor.

Stowell, a gold medalist in the 470 class with Jenny Armstrong during the
2000 Sydney Olympics, is currently the head coach of sailing at the Western
Australian Institute of Sport.

The other coaches are Torvar Mirsky and Kinley Fowler, skipper and mainsheet
trimmer of Mirsky Racing Team who finished as runner-up in the 2009 World Match
Racing Tour Championship and Brad Sheridan, who helped Singapore win a sailing
gold medal in the last Asian Games.

All five Australians will share their experience with 10 elite Malaysian
sailors, handpicked by the Malaysian Yachting Association, (MYA) and 18 other
top sailors from around the country.

Gilmour said he felt ecstatic with the selection of two Olympic champions
and three highly rated coaches for the MSS this year.

"We definitely have an all-star line-up here, their combined experiences
over the Asian Games, Olympics and the World Match Racing Tour," he said.

Monsoon Sailing School is the perfect training opportunity for teams vying
to participate in the Malaysian and Asian Match Racing Championship of the
Monsoon Cup as participants will train on the actual yachts used in Monsoon Cup.

Four F-36 match racing yachts have been brought down from Terengganu state
especially for the event to be held at Maritime Centre, Precinct 5 Putrajaya.
-- BERNAMA


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