YOUNG GUNS: Optimist sailors (from left) Luke Tan, Darren Choy, Rachel Lee and Russell Kan back in Singapore with the Trofeo Marco Rizzotti that they had won in Venice.

ON LAND, they are your average teenagers who enjoy playing games on the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP).

At sea, Optimist sailors Russell Kan, Luke Tan, and Rachel Lee, all 15 years old, and Darren Choy, 14, are businesslike.

Recently, they helped Singapore emerge tops at the Trofeo Marco Rizzotti competition in Venice, winning all 22 races at the team sailing competition.

An Optimist is a single-handed dinghy designed for youngsters aged 15 and below. There is no Olympic event for this class.

Rachel and Darren are Singapore Sports School students. Luke is from St Joseph's Institution and Russell hails from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).

The quartet outsailed 17 teams from 11 countries, including hosts Italy, who had won the event six times in the last 10 years.

Their love for PSP games helped them to de-stress as the pressure built up during the competition.

Said captain Russell: 'We enjoy playing games such as DJ Max Portable, a music mixing game. As a team, it helps to have something in common.'

The quartet share a close bond, evident from how they joke about Luke being the worst at DJ Max, and nodding in Darren's direction when asked who is the best.

Their team spirit came in handy in Venice.

Said Russell: 'There were many close races when we had to fight back, and our good teamwork and communication helped.'

Each race saw four sailors from two countries racing against each other in their individual boats.

Points were awarded, with one point for first place to eight points for eighth. The team with the lowest cumulative score wins.

Like Russell, Darren attributed their win to the team's strong bond, saying: 'We are always together, unlike in big countries, where the team gather just before a competition.'

The Singapore team train together three to four times a week, each session lasting about six hours. During competition season, they have five sessions.

Training aside, they have worked out a tactic that plays to the strengths of each member of the team.

Tactics will play a key role again in next month's International Optimist Dinghy Association (Ioda) World Sailing Championships in Turkey.

Last year, Russell, Rachel and Luke were part of the team that finished second in Italy. The trio, along with Darren and fellow national sailor Andrew Tang, will be looking to improve on that.

As an Optimist team racing event, the Trofeo Marco Rizzotti is just behind the Ioda Championships in terms of importance.