A teenage sailor has received sponsorship to help her on her way to fulfilling her Olympic dream.

Karyna Manuel, from Bassingbourn, has been given a cheque for £2,000 to go towards the costs of competing at the top level in her sport.

The 17-year-old sailor is a sports studies student at Cambridge Regional College (CRC) and was awarded the cheque by the college having been earmarked as one of the top sailors in her age group.

She won the Laser Radial Youth World Championships at Oman in southwest Asia earlier this year, has represented Great Britain for the last two years and has been offered the chance to compete in Youth World Championship events across Europe and further afield.

CRC principal Anne Constantine presented Karyna with her sponsorship cheque along with a further £2,000 to fellow student Louis Rolfe, who is a paracyclist for Great Britain.

“It is very hard to reach the standard that both Karyna and Louis have already achieved and it is fabulous that we have such great stars here at the college,” she said.

“At CRC we do all we can to support high performing students and staff where there is real potential and a lot of expense, so we are delighted to make a contribution to Karyna and Louis which we hope will help them achieve their dreams.”

Karyna, who holds the county’s Sports Personality of the Year title, said she was “very grateful” for the support from the college.

Among the costs she faces is yearly boat maintenance, which includes a new mast for £350 and a new sail for £450, £30 to £50 a day for coaching, and the cost of travelling around 10,000 miles a year for competitions and training clinics. Entry fees alone cost £40 for a weekend event, £140 for a week-long event and £175 for a week-long international regatta.