Rising sailing stars Paul Darmanin and Lucy Copeland have won a silver medal at the 2012 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in Ireland.

Contesting the multihull event, Darmanin and Copeland entered the final day of racing in third spot, two points behind second and only one ahead of fourth.

The NSWIS duo finished third in the final race, leapfrogging their competitors from Brazil into the silver medal position.

“Lucy and I are ecstatic after claiming silver today in an unpredictable and nerve-racking final race,” Darmanin said. “We got an average start but picked the shifts well to round first way ahead of our closest rivals.

“It’s been a great regatta and to sail as part of an awesome team has made it very special, we’ll train hard to qualify next year and go for gold,” he said.