KEY POINTS:
Chris Steele won the Optimist world championships in Sardinia yesterday giving the New Zealand team their first gold medal at this level. Team-mate Alexandra Maloney won bronze and was the top female in the 13-races.
Steele, from Wakatere Boating Club in Auckland and a student at Westlake Boys High, was consistent with six top-three finishes over the 13 races. He finished with 62 points, five ahead of Benjamin Grez of Chile.
Maloney, from Murrays Bay Sailing Club, was 23 points behind Grez to win the bronze medal. She was also consistent, finishing well ahead of her nearest female rival who was in 10th place overall. National champion Logan Dunning-Beck, also of Wakatere Boating Club, finished ninth overall
