Sports minister Owen Darrell has hailed former student Mustafa Ingham’s success in the prestigious Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in Australia.

Ingham, 28, was among the crew on board the supermaxi LawConnect, which secured line honours for the second straight year in the 725-mile thrash from Sydney Harbour to Hobart, the Tasmanian capital.

“This is really exciting and I am really proud of Mustafa,” Darrell told The Royal Gazette.

“I was his high school teacher at The Berkeley Institute, so I remember when it all started. He was given the opportunity when America’s Cup was here [in 2017] and it's good to see Mustafa taking the opportunity he was given and really turning it into not only a passion but also a career. That he is still doing so well is amazing.

“I am happy to see that he continues to push the boundaries of what a young Bermudian is doing all the way across the world in such a prestigious event.”

Ingham and his fellow colleagues took one day, 13 hours and 35 minutes to complete the race, having setting sail from Sydney Harbour off the Australian mainland on Boxing Day, crossing the finish line in Hobart shortly after 2.30am on Saturday, more than 23 miles ahead of Celestial V70, the provisional overall winner.

Darrell is thrilled to see a Bermudian involved in an event that is regarded as the world’s most gruelling and challenging ocean race.

“This continues to demonstrate what I have been saying for a long time — that sport matters,” he added.

“We use the term loosely that Bermuda punches above its weight, but it's examples like this that demonstrate exactly what Bermudians are capable of doing if given the opportunity.

“That’s why I always say that support matters, and it doesn't always just come writing a cheque; it comes from opportunities. This even attaches to what the clubs are doing and how we are encouraging people in their long-term athletic development plans because you never know.

“You never know what giving someone an opportunity will turn into, and that's exactly what Mustafa was given because he was not a sailor. He did not grow up playing a lot of sports, but he was physically gifted, even as a young man in high school, and when he was given the opportunity, this showed what we can do.”