Maidstone’s Ben Jelf secured a 13th-placed finish in the Fourth Round of the 2023 UIM F1H2O World Championship in Olbia, Sardinia.

It was Sweden’s Jonas Andersson who sailed home to victory and, with it, he secured the 2023 UIM F1H2O world crown.

Jelf, competing for the F1 Atlantic team, held off strong competition to hand himself a boost heading into the final round in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in December.

He said: “It’s been a great weekend and a real boost for the team.

“It’s only my second race in the boat and my first real season, so we are still learning every time we go in the water.”

Due to safety constraints, the fleet were split into two groups for the weekend as the competitors battled it out over free practice, qualifying and sprint races to secure one of the 16 places for the Grand Prix of Italy.

Jelf’s recent testing seemed to have been worth the time and effort and, having finished his session third fastest in the group, heading into qualifying he topped the repechage session to secure his place in the afternoon’s race.

From 18th on the grid by the second lap, Jelf had already moved himself into 13th position and battles were fought throughout the fleet in the remaining 38 laps.

The final round takes place on December 8-10.