SINGAPORE: Singapore's young sailors used the SIM 29th Singapore Windsurfing Open to prepare for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

The three-day international event ended on Sunday. It saw 123 competitors from 11 countries battling it out in six categories in the waters off the East Coast. Last year, 104 competitors from seven countries competed in the event.

Among this year's competitors were 36 windsurfers from Singapore including national sailor Amanda Ng, who finished 3rd in the Techno Girls category, behind two Thai competitors.

Ng upstaged fellow Singapore sailor Audrey Yong, who won a bronze medal at the 2009 Asian Youth Games. 15-year-old Ng, a Methodist Girls School student, took up windsurfing only a year ago. She plans to work harder to match her more experienced opponents.

Amanda said: "They are stronger and they have more stamina. So, I think for the next few months, I will have to be more diligent in going to the gym and spending more time on water and probably go overseas for more competitions to get more experience."

The windsurfers are also competing with the dinghy sailors for the two sailing slots given to Singapore at the YOG.

Edwin Low, executive director of Singapore Sailing, said: "It is still not confirmed as to who is going to be in it, because we have the Bytes, boy and girl, and now the windsurfing. Selection processes are still in progress."

Windsurfing has a bright future. For the first time, the Singapore Open is seeing a title sponsor. Singapore Sailing also has plans to promote windsurfing in a big way in schools and compete at the 2012 London Olympics.