SINGAPORE sailor Loh Jia Yi has won the individual title at the annual Optimist World Championships.

At Lake Garda in Italy, the 15-year-old Raffles Institution student, who became the first local boy to win the crown, emerged tops in a field of 259 international competitors. He won six of the 10 races.

His victory follows the success of compatriots Kimberly Lim and Yukie Yokoyama, who won the overall title in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Earlier in the competition, Jia Yi, along with Bertha Han, Edward Tan, Koh Yi Kun and Fathin Rasyiqin Mohd Firdaus, also won the competition's team title.