HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA - 8/26/2009 - Reigning US Laser National Champion Clay Johnson finished 33rd in an elite field of 150 at the Laser World Championships.  The ten race series was sailed in St. Margaret's Bay in Nova Scotia.  Johnson came out strong in the first two days of the event, posting top three finishes in each of the first three races.  The typically ideal racing conditions on St. Margaret's Bay came into question on the evening of the second day of racing when several competitors were granted redress and were able to have race three thrown out due to the fact that fog had drastically reduced visibility on the race course.  The jury's decision proved unfortunate for Johnson, who wound up swapping a third place in the foggy race for a blackflag in the re-sail. 

Johnson emerges from the World Championship as the top American - and clearly the frontrunner for the US Sailing Team's 2012 Olympic effort in the Laser class.  More importantly, Johnson proved in half the races at the Worlds that he can already hang with the world's best.  As a relative newcomer to the elite international Laser scene, Johnson's ability to keep up with those who have been sailing full time for five years or more, vs. his six months of full time sailing, bodes well for his future.