SINGAPORE — When Elisa Yukie Yokoyama, 16, revealed waves once terrified her, it seemed to fit the stereotype of a meek-looking, pint-sized schoolgirl. But put her in a sailing boat, and it is as if a switch has been flicked, morphing her into one of the world’s finest young sailors.

Last July, she was crowned Optimist world champion, which helped her win the Sailor of the Year gong at the annual SingaporeSailing Awards two weekends ago.

When TODAY caught up with her, Yukie — as she is commonly known — admits even she is baffled by her own competitiveness.

“I don’t exactly know what it is that turns me into such a fierce competitor. When I started sailing, I was very scared of strong winds,” she said. “Singapore is considered a light wind venue, so when I went to Australia to sail, it was blowing 20 knots there and I really couldn’t cope.”

But what she is certain is the role her coach Fernando Alegre has played in her relatively short sailing career. “He’s very motivating and tells me to keep things simple and focus on (basic) details such as the start and holding my lane,” she said.

“He also doesn’t allow me to wallow about my results.”

It was Alegre’s advice that helped Yukie win the overall title at the IODA Optimist World Championship in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic last July.

She won six of the nine races for a nett total of 10 points, ahead of team-mates Samuel Neo (11) and Jessica Neo (21) as Singapore achieved a 1-2-3 finish in the 230-strong regatta.

But it is her Sailor of the Year award that means the most to her.

“It’s really special to me in so many ways because it is more than just about an award,” the Raffles Girls’ Secondary student reflected.

“The hard work and all the memories behind it … it’s really the sum of everything I’ve done over the past six years towards my dream of winning the World Championship so it means a lot personally.”

Elder sister Natasha is also a national sailor and while father Haruo and mother Sharifah have been extremely supportive of their daughters’ sailing careers, Yukie knows much work lies ahead as she makes the transition to the 420 class and forges a partnership with her crew Jazlene Ong, 18.

They got off to a strong start, finishing second at the Fish & Co Championship earlier this month.

Yukie has big dreams, like competing at the Olympics and becoming a full-time sailor.

But she said: “Now, I can’t just make that decision because there are still a lot of other things for me to think about. As much as sailing is what I want to do, I really don’t know how it is like if I turn pro and the resulting pros and cons, so as I grow older I’ll make the decision.”