Bond University student Daniel Self is getting set to take on the world at the 2018 Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
The 21-year-old is currently ranked sixth in Australia in the laser class and has his sights set on becoming an Olympian.
“The goal is to get to the Olympics. Ideally Tokyo, but Paris 2024 is a more realistic goal,” Self told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“I’ve got the basics for what is needed to compete at an international and Olympic level, but I really need to fine tune all of my skills.
“This is the biggest event of the four-year cycle. It is the first chance to qualify your country for the Olympics too.”
Self was a relative late-comer to the sport, but grew up around boats on family holidays sailing around Europe and the Greek Islands.
The Actuarial Science student, who is a member of Bond's Elite Sports Program (BESP), has made a fast ascent through the ranks and was the first youth advisor on the board of Yachting Queensland and is also the vice president of the Queensland Laser Association.
“This year is the first time I’ve been able to qualify for the Queensland Academy of Sport program. When I was 19, I didn’t really have the coaching and support that a lot of the other sailors had,” he said.
“To be able to qualify after four years of going for that goal was a massive weight off my shoulders.
“Last year I had some pretty solid results, I made gold fleet – that is the top third of a regatta in some big international events.”
As a BESP athlete, the University provides Daniel with support and guidance to balance his academic and sporting goals through flexible study loads and timetabling, as well as having access to Bond’s Elite Athlete Fund which provides funding to participate in sporting events and competitions.