SEA Games sailing champion Bernie Chin added one more accolade to his list of achievements, after finishing third out of 58 competitors in the boys' class at the Laser Radial World Championships in Ireland on Saturday.

The 17-year-old Singaporean, who is also a Youth Olympic Games gold medallist, finished behind champion Henry Marshall of America and runner-up Ewan McMahon of Ireland.

Speaking to The Straits Times over the phone, Bernie revealed that his results were "not expected".

The Raffles Institution student was first in two of his races, and was relieved to have improved on his eighth-place finish from last year.

"The conditions were really tough and tricky, and everyone had their ups and downs in this regatta," he said.

"I think I was slightly more consistent than my competitors, so I'm really satisfied with my result."

Bernie was awarded the Sports Excellence Scholarship (spexScholarship) in March, and he believes that his improved performance is all due to the support from the scheme.

He said: "The services provided by the spexScholarship, especially those of the dietitian and strength and conditioning trainer, helped me a lot before the event.

"The dietitian gave me tips on eating well after training and racing, and also provided me with supplements to help with recovery."

Next up will be qualification for the Isaf Youth Sailing World Championships in Auckland at the end of the year.

Bernie finished 29th in last year's edition.

He said: "There'll be a selection trial in Singapore in September, and I'll have to try and make it based on my results at the trial.

"But if I qualify, I hope I do better than last year."