becoming a world champion by the end of the week.

The 16-year-old from Warwick won two successive races in the Byte World Championships in Canada to lift himself up to fourth place after five races.

Kirkland started off his series in Portsmouth Harbour, Kingston, Ontario, in promising style, finishing fourth in Sunday's opening race, but placed 42nd in the second race. There were no races on Monday, due to bad weather, and in Tuesday's sole race, Kirkland placed 19th.

Yesterday's stunning performance by Kirkland left him the only sailor of the 78 competitors to have won two races.

His effort is all the more remarkable as the post-Optimist sailor is new to the Byte class, which is the official Canadian youth boat.

Kirkland, who is backed by a Government sports grant, prepared for the championships by training on Lake Ontario.

After dropping his worst finish, Kirkland's net points total was 25, just three points behind second-placed Steven Boleantu and third-placed Michael Todd.

Although Kirkland twice got the better of leader Eric Holden yesterday, the 15-year-old from Vancouver will be difficult to disloge from top spot before the series of up to 12 races ends tomorrow.

Holden's remarkably consistent series of 2-1-2-5-2 gives him a total of just seven points, after discarding his fifth place finish.

The rules state that if 10 races are completed, competitiors will be allowed to drop their two worst finishes, which would give Holden plenty of leeway.

Two other Bermuda teenagers are competing in Kingston, Ben Wicks and Lawson Williams, both 14. Wicks is 42nd and Williams nine places further back.