George Gautrey has only one regret after securing a brilliant bronze medal at the Sailing World Championships overnight – that he couldn’t turn it into silver for his biggest fan back home.

George claimed New Zealand’s first podium spot on the final day of competition in The Hague with a fifth place in the ILCA 7 (Laser) medal race following a tight tussle with Britain’s Michael Beckett.

Having already been guaranteed silverware after a dramatic last day of qualifying 24 hours earlier, and with Australia’s Matt Wearn enjoying an unassailable lead, the 10-boat medal race was effectively a shootout for second place between Beckett and the Kiwi.

A wicked wind shift saw George take an early lead in the finale before an error at the top mark proved costly.

“I led around the top and then made a meal of it on the first run, but that’s yachting. That’s something to look back on but I can walk away with my head held high,” says George after the race, which saw Beckett finish second to Frenchman Jean Baptiste Bernaz – and five points ahead of Gautrey overall.

“I think I got what I deserved this week. I was clearly behind these guys [Wearn and Beckett] in the racing, but clearly in front of the guys behind me – so I’m quite happy with my week.”

George had a slow start to the competition but managed to work his way back up the leaderboard with five top-ten results in the final seven qualifying races – picking up two race wins along the way.

“Eight days of sailing on the trot is a big regatta and doing it in the Laser makes it even harder.

“I started off the week pretty slow in qualifying and just made a habit of chipping away each day, trying to move up a few spots here and there and I found myself in the mix at the end of the week, with the big boys, which is always where you want to be.

“I’m a little gutted to lose silver to Mickey, but he deserved it. He sailed cracking all week and the same with Matt. Just to be up with those two and be in the conversation, it's a good place for me to be.”

George has a special message for mum Susan, who has been supporting him from her home in Wellington.

“I'm sorry to my mother, who had to watch that – I’m sure she’s pulling her hair out.

“I think she's watched every minute of [race] tracking back in New Zealand from 2am to 4am so I feel sorry for her more than anything!”

With this result, George also secured New Zealand a position on the ILCA 7 start line at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

He is one of six Kiwi crews to book a Games spot this week along with the 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17, and men’s and women’s windfoil.

The 25-year-old will put his feet up for a few days before starting work with coach Mark Howard on the next chapter in what has been a breakout season for him – winning silver at the Princess Sofia Regatta in April and finishing fourth at last month’s test event in Marseille in the most fiercely contested Olympic fleet.

“Obviously, I still have some things to tidy up on, because you don't come to these events to come third,” says George.

“It will be an exciting next six or so months before the next [ILCA 7] world champs to try and close the gap up to Matty and Mickey.”

Earlier this week, Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie finished fourth in the 49er fleet, while Jo Aleh and Molly Meech (sixth in the 49erFX), Josh Armit (seventh in the men’s windfoil), and Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson (eighth in the Nacra 17) all impressed in challenging conditions.

Experience in the strong current and difficult sea states throughout the week will stand the Kiwi sailors in good stead, said Yachting New Zealand high-performance director Ian Stewart.

“We’re thrilled for George getting on the podium and battling for silver at the very end,” says Ian.

“We'd obviously love to have more medals, but we're buoyed that teams and sailors are moving in the right way. It's the world champs and to be the best in the world isn't easy but to have five teams in the top 10 is exciting and it all bodes well.”

Final results and standing at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague.

49er (83 boats)    
1st: Bart Lambriex/Floris Van De Werken (Ned) 1 4 5 2 1 1 3 5 2 10 (13) 6 1 1 3 18 - 63 points
2nd: Sebastien Schneiter/Arno De Planta (Sui) 3 4 3 9 7 5 2 1 6 (25) 9 4 12 5 5 16 - 91 pts
3rd: Diego Botin/Florian Trittel (Esp) 1 1 5 3 8RDG 2.8RDG 1 1 2 8 12 7 4 (26BFD) 16 20 - 91.8 pts
4th: Isaac McHardie/Will McKenzie (NZ) 2 (15) 8 7 2 6 6 6 4 2 7 10 (26RET) 9 13 2 - 99 pts
23rd: Logan Dunning Beck/Oscar Gunn (NZ) 2 (29UFD) 12 10 2 1 4 17 3 20 14 20 14 19 22 - 160 pts
41st: Campbell Stanton/William Shapland (NZ) 16 5 (26) 16 10 20 22 14 13 18 2 14 13 16 14 - 193 pts
81st: Sam Bacon/Cailen Rochford (NZ) 12 29UFD 18 16 15 7 29DNC 29DNC 29DNC (30DNC) 30DNC 30 DNC 30DNC 30DNC - 304 pts

49erFX (59 boats)
1st: Vilma Bobeck/Rebecca Netzler (Swe) 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 3 19 (26BFD) 1 9 - 48 pts
2nd: Odile Van Aanholt/Annette Duetz (Ned) 3 10 7 1 10 (30DSQ) 1 1 8 7 11 9 2 2 12 - 84 pts
3rd: Olivia Price/Evie Haseldine (Aus) 1 4 2 3 2 5 3 10 9 3 12 (23) 4 10 20 - 88 pts
6th: Jo Aleh/Molly Meech (NZ) 4 7 3 13 5 2 12 1 10 15 10 11 6 (18) 7 - 106 pts
49th: Courtney Reynolds-Smith/Brianna Reynolds-Smith (NZ) 21 14 25 24 23 22 23 28 22 23 24 19 25 (30) - 293 pts

Nacra 17 mixed (49 boats)
1st: Ruggero Tita/Caterina Banti (Ita) 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 9 (12) 5 1 1 3 2 - 31 pts
2nd: John Gimson/Anna Burnet (GBR) 3 2 2 3 3 1 3 5 5 1 (20) 4 3 6 4 12 - 57 pts
3rd: Emil Jarudd/Hanna Jonsson (Swe) 2 7 3 4 6 4 6 1 (17) 2 7 1 7 5 7 4 - 66 pts
8th: Micah Wilkinson/Erica Dawson (NZ) 5 (26UFD) 7 3 2 5 3 4 4 7 6 11 8 10 2 16 - 93 pts

470 mixed (64 boats)
1st: Keiju Okada/Miho Yoshioka (Jpn) 1 4 1 6 3 2 5 1 (24) 3 14 10 - 50 pts
2nd: Jordi Xammar Hernandez/Nora Brugman Cabot (Esp) 7 13 4 4 15 5 (20) 4 3 8 15 8 - 86 pts
3rd: Tetsuya Isozaki/Yurie Seki (Jpn) 6 8 12 1 2 11 6 13 14 (21) 12 6 - 91 pts
53rd: Derek Scott/Rebecca Hume (NZ) 27 28 27 21 23 17 7 6 (32UFD) 14 22 - 192 pts
57th: Brittany Wornall/Sam Street (NZ) 29 24 12 19 26 (32UFD) 32RET 30 22 7 24 - 225 pts
60th: Annabelle Rennie-Younger/Blake McGlashan (NZ) 26 32 (33RET) 25 24 12 24 31 15 13 27 - 229 pts

ILCA 7 (138 boats)
1st: Matt Wearn (Aus) 11 11 6 5 1 3 2 7 25 (65) 12 - 83 pts
2nd: Michael Beckett (GBR) 3 1 3 2 (70BFD) 2 5 8 2 66 4 - 96 pts
3rd: George Gautrey (NZ) 15 16 3 4 16 1 1 26 (70BFD) 9 10 - 101 pts 
11th: Tom Saunders (NZ) 10 13 21 3 17 30 7 (34) 32 17 - 150 pts
89th: Luke Deegan (NZ) 43 23 (50) 30 7 34 25 45 15 28 - 250 pts
101st: Caleb Armit (NZ) 39 (56) 51 22 36STP 35 43 37 28 19 - 310 pts

ILCA 6 (109 boats)
1st: Maria Erdi (Hun) 5 1 3 7 17 4 22 6 (49) 4 6 -75 pts
2nd: Maud Jayet (Sui) 21 15 (43) 1 1 2 2 7 3 13 14 - 79 pts
3rd: Anne-Marie Rindom (Den) 2 12 8 3 9 (24) 19 5 10 1 12 - 81 pts
71st: Olivia Christie (NZ) 19 43 17 (55) 14 29 22 10 17 24 - 195 pts 
84th: Greta Pilkington (NZ) 23 45 30 14 22 36 32 11 (56UFD) 41 - 254 pts

Men's windfoil (93 boards)
1st: Luuc Van Opzeeland (Ned) 1 5 1 3 (6) 1 3 (21) 5 2 (12) 6 9 4 1 1 - 40 pts
2nd: Sebastian Kordel (Ger) 9.3RDG 3 1 1 4 (31) (27) 1 1 3 6 3 (19) 7 2 2 - 39.3 pts
3rd: Nicolo Renna (Ita) (15) 3 3 5 (9) 5 1 1 1 1 (11) 4 3 1 3 - 28 pts
7th: Josh Armit (NZ) 7 (19) 9 (31) 6 9 7 3 3 16 (17) 2 17 10 4 - 89 pts
34th: Eli Liefting (NZ) (51BFD) 11 (27) 15 17 19 21 9 13 27 (38) 23 27 30 - 212 pts
35th: Thomas Crook (NZ) 15 9 21 (51BFD) 18 22.7RDG (35) 17 11 28 (45) 39 12 20 - 212.7 pts
59th: Patrick Haybittle (NZ) (51BFD) 15 (39) 33 31 39 31 23 23 3 1 5 6 (21) - 210 pts

Women's windfoil (88 boards)
1st: Shahar Tibi (Isr) 3 (10) 1 8 5 3 (11) 1 1 (15) 4 5 6 1 1 1 - 38 pts
2nd: Katy Spychakov (Isr) 5 2 5 3 (19) 5 (47BFD) 1 7 (28) 7 2 1 2 2 2 - 40 pts
3rd: Emma Wilson (GBR) 4 3 2 1 2 (7) (7) 1 3 (10) 1 1 3 6 3  - 27 pts
22nd: Veerle ten Have (NZ) (25) 18 10 17 8 9 (47BFD) 9 11 21 13 4 26 (37) - 146 pts
66th: Aimee Bright (NZ) 25 25 22 (38) 16 29 15 (39) 33 (36) 22 34 29 14 - 264 pts
82nd: Stella Bilger (NZ) 30 (40) 36 33 (39) 39 33 35 37 (39) 38 24 35 36 - 376 pts

Men's kitefoil (84 boards)
1st: Maximilian Maeder (SGP) 11 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 4 (8) 2 (9) 3 (7) 2 - 23 pts
2nd: Toni Vodisek (Slo) 1 1 1 3 (4) 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 (11) 4 (17) 3 - 22 pts
3rd: Axel Mazella (Fra) (16) 1 1 4 2 3 2 1 2 2 14 4 (19) 7 4 (20) - 47 pts
28th: Lukas Walton-Keim (NZ) 9 5 7 (15) 4 10 12 10 (29DNF) (13) 13 11 6 10 2 - 99 pts

Women's kitefoil (53 boards)
1st: Lauriane Nolot (Fra) (7) 1 1 2 (28DNC) 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 (4) 4 1 1 - 18 pts
2nd: Eleanor Aldridge (GBR) (13) (28DNF) 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 3 2 2 3 (7) - 24 pts
3rd: Lily Young (GBR) (28DNF) 2 2 1 2 (28DSQ) 2 3 (28UFD) 6 2 4 9 9 5 2 - 49 pts
24th: Justina Kitchen (NZ) 4 11 (28RET) 10 8 14 8 9 (17) 7 9 11 20 (21) 20 21 - 152 pts

For full results and updates from the 2023 Sailing World Championships, click here.