HAMPSHIRE sailor Leigh McMillan has secured his first ever Extreme 40 world title after leading his team to glory in the 2012 season showdown.

Southampton's McMillan and his crew on The Wave, Muscat stormed to the top of the leaderboard in the final round of the Extreme Sailing Series, taking the event win and securing overall victory in the seven-date championship ahead of sistership Oman Air.

McMillan, who represented Great Britain in the Tornado dinghy class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, beat closest rivals Groupe Edmond de Rothschild by just 0.2 points to clinch victory at the season finale in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“We are over the moon,” said the 32-year-old. “We are absolutely thrilled to win here in Rio, it’s been an extraordinary event. “It came right down to the wire. It was a huge team effort -- the guys were fantastic throughout the whole season and I am very thankful for them.”

Full story in today's Daily Echo