Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarship holder and Australian sailor Tom Slingsby has received the ultimate birthday present, a third Laser World Championship and second World title in as many weeks, on a thrilling final day of the 2010 Laser World Championship.

Slingsby, celebrating his 26th birthday on the final day of racing at Hayling Island in Great Britain, has added the 2010 Laser World Championship to his 2007 and 2008 titles and also the 2010 Etchell World Championship he won with John Bertrand and Andrew Palfrey just over a week ago.

“Today’s win is the best birthday present I could ever have hoped for,” Slingsby said.

“To win two World Championships in two weeks and end four and a half months in Europe with my third Laser World Championship is fantastic.”

“It was quite a stressful week with a black flag hanging over my head through the finals but to come through with no further mistakes was great, I’m stoked with the result and really happy with how I sailed.”

2010 has been a massive year for Slingsby with victories at the Australian Laser Championship and three rounds of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Holland, Germany and England.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games representative also won bronze at the 2010 Laser European Championship and has tasted success away from the Laser throughout the year.

“At the start of the year I looked at the schedule and saw that I’d be competing in three World Championships and thought how good it would be to go well in all three,” Slingsby said.

“We were second at the Farr40 Worlds earlier in the year and after that I set a goal of winning the Etchells and the Laser title but didn’t really believe it would happen, so to have gotten there is an amazing feeling.”

The Australian Sailing Team member’s victory is all the more impressive when you consider that just two years ago he languished 22nd at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and he then finished 17th at the 2009 Laser World Championship.

“After the Olympics, going in as one of the favourites and coming away with 22nd, I was really destroyed,” Slingsby said.

“Victor Kovalenko, the AIS and Australian Sailing Team’s head coach, always says you learn more from losing than winning and so I learned a lot about China.”

“I learned how to lose and picked up the things I did wrong and how to improve them, and I have to go through the motions, I’ve learned to tick every box and go there as prepared as I can be.”

Slingsby’s coach, former Laser World Champion and Olympic medallist Michael Blackburn, was impressed with how he sailed throughout the world championships.

“Tom sailed exceptionally well at this event, it was one of the best regattas he’s sailed in for a long time,” Blackburn said.

“He was composed under pressure, chipped back through the fleet when he needed to, covered Thompson (second placed) when it was necessary and sailed well to take the title.”