Senior squad and Pathway Sailing athletes in Summer season highlights
Strong performances and individual results have been the hallmark of two major championships over the past week for Ireland's senior squad and pathway sailors in The Netherlands and Sweden.
The highlight of the Allianz Sailing World Championships from an Irish viewpoint was the qualification of the country by Rio 2016 Olympian Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) in the ILCA7 men's single-handed event for the Paris Games next year.
Although none of the Irish squad reached the medal race finals of their respective events at The Hague, justifiable disappointment also masks some strong individual performances that will drive training and preparations in the coming months.
In the 49er Men's skiff event, Robert Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Sean Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) have clearly put their early season medical issues well in the past with a series of top results over the course of last week. But for a single disqualification score, they would have made the top ten medal race final as well as qualifying Ireland for Paris 2024.
In the end, they missed the qualification criteria by one place demonstrating how tight the margins are at senior level.
"Rob and Sean clearly know what it takes to perform and came extremely close to achieving their goals," said James O'Callaghan, Irish Sailing's Performance Director. "The lads have three full months before their next competition which will allow them iron out the wrinkles and deliver."
Other Irish results at The Hague include Eve McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) who didn't reach Gold fleet in the ILCA6 women's single-handed event but did win the Silver fleet. Her brother Ewan raced in the Gold fleet of the ILCA7 event and place in the top half of the 80 strong division.
Meanwhile, in the 49er skiff event Seafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan (Royal Cork Yacht Club) were disappointed not to reach Gold fleet though several individual race results indicate that they are close to achieving this milestone in the near future.