Marleen Huisman is ready for the next step after silver at the Sailing World Championships

Polderse, 16, has been in a Royal Watersports Association Sneek boat for ten years but has been sailing at a senior level for about three years now. ,,My parents have both been sailing for a long time, so talent doesn’t necessarily come from one side. I can also ask a lot of my brother Robbert, who also sails at a high level.”

The choice of Friesland is easy to explain. ,,A large part of the family lives here.” Silke Zuidema (14), with whom she achieved World Cup success, lives in Sneek. ,,My brother sailed with his brother. We clicked very well and we had the same ambition: to become world champions for girls.

He was close to success off Weymouth/Portland in England. “In fact, we had all the weather conditions in terms of wind. Sometimes the wind was blowing very hard, but there were also times when games had to be postponed because there was hardly any wind. After qualifying, we came out in the highest gold class. In the end, New Zealand were just a bit better and a deserved world champion.”

The Polders/Frison duo can nevertheless remember the event with pride. ,,We were second in the girls and ninth overall in a field of 186 boats.”

She describes the RS Feva as a boat in which sport can be experienced with a lot of fun and enjoyment. “A good base for those who want to continue sailing.”

In his case, it is a certainty. ,,I’ve done other sports, but it’s never been as serious as sailing. It’s still number one for me. I now also do a lot of bodybuilding and Fit2fight, a kind of crossfit, because it’s necessary in the boat.”