Sailing

The 17-year-old Sir John Colfox School sixth form student, originally from Cheshire and now living in Bridport, is rated as one of the top youth sailors in England and has won races at world championship level, becoming national champion in several classes.

His ultimate ambition is to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games in 2008 with a series of targets to meet along the way, beginning with a top five finish in this year's world championship, his last season at youth level.

Kier took to the water from the age of six and soon realised he could be destined to reach the top of his sport. He remains modest about his achievements so far however and highlights that he still has a lot of hard work ahead of him.

"This is my final year as a youth in the Laser Radial class before I move onto the Olympic standard Laser I. It has a smaller sail so I will need to get much stronger and heavier to be able to compete at that level."

Currently, Kier sails on every single Sunday, 35 Saturdays and around 50 weekdays throughout the year and when he's not on the water, he's in the gym, building up his weight and upper body strength in four sessions per week.

"Competitions and training does not leave me any hours spare to get a part time job. My parents have had to make a lot of sacrifices financially to support me and I have to show them my commitment," he added.

His progress has been monitored by Royal Yachting Association high performance manager Duncan Trusswell, who believes Kier has the potential to go all the way.

He said: "He is probably the best youth sailor in his class in the UK at the moment. He's growing taller and stronger and he is making good progress since I last saw him.

"He is aggressive and he gets fired up in competitions - sometimes too much - but he needs to get a bit more consistency and better preparation."

The RYA have indicated that Kier's further development will be heavily dependent upon increasing his international competitive experience, which comes at great cost to his family, who are constantly in search of financial support and sponsorship.

His father Jim, who works for Sport England, is afraid that financial constraints will scupper his son's dreams of fulfilling his potential as a British Olympian.

He said: "I have an ordinary job and do not have the necessary financial resources to support Kier's bid for success. If we fail to get more support, Kier will be forced to withdraw from international events and his winter training programme will have to be cut in half."

The cost of his programme for the coming year is estimated at £10,000, which includes training, competitions, equipment, kit and of course, his boat.

Bridport Rotary Club, West Dorset Sports and Leisure Trust (free use of the gym), Dorset County Council and the Colfox Trust have already lent their support to Kier.

If you are interested in contributing in any way to his continued success. Please contact Jim Clarke on 07771 766257.