BEWDLEY Olympian Alison Young has seen her impressive efforts rewarded with an all-important place in the world rankings top 30.

The Laser Radial sailor has shot up to 18th after a bust three months competing.

Young, who at one point was second in the rankings, has been making up for lost time after illness forced her out of action for eight months.

Success at the Melbourne ISAF World Cup round allied to strong performances in Abu Dhabi and Brazil as well as fourth in the World Cup Final.

In a shake-up in world sailing, rankings are now important as those in the top 30 automatically qualify for the World Cup rounds and also determine if they are chosen for October's final.

Young continued her progress with fifth place overall in Miami last week.

The Trimpley Sailing Club member made a blistering start with victories in the first two rounds but then recorded 23rd and 25th finishes as conditions changed. Young bounced back with a win in round seven and cemented her top five place with sixth in the medal race.

“It’s been a tricky week with a full range of conditions for the sailors to contend with,” surmised RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park.

“There have been some unusual offshore winds, and very shifty too resulting in some significant place changes throughout all the fleets all week.

“The good news from a British team perspective is that we had people fighting it out not just for medals, but for golds in the majority of classes during the course of the week, and to come away with eight medals at this stage is a good place to be."