McMahon Secures Career-Best Finish at French Olympic Week
Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club delivered a career-best performance at the 56th French Olympic Week (Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères), finishing tenth overall after five days of racing. Competing in the ILCA 7 class, McMahon capped his week with a strong sixth place in the Medal Race — his first of the LA 2028 Olympic cycle.
The Howth sailor set out to deliver one of the finest performances of his career at the prestigious French Sailing Grand Slam event, following a week of personal highs.
“I’m pleased with my performances this week on the water in Hyères,” said McMahon. “Conditions were challenging, leading to some high-stakes racing, but overall I’m delighted to have made my first Medal Race for the LA 2028 cycle. The race was tight and demanding but also a lot of fun — and a great learning experience. This is another important stepping stone for me, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season.”
McMahon’s sixth place in the Medal Race secured him tenth overall from an original fleet of 109 boats, ahead of notable names such as world number two Duko Bos (Netherlands) and world number nine Jonathan Vadnai (Hungary).
Milan Vujasinovic, Irish Sailing’s ILCA coach, praised McMahon’s performance:
“Ewan showed this week that he can race at the top of the fleet alongside the best in the world. With his first Medal Race now behind him, he should feel confident of many more ahead. His focus now shifts to the World Championships in China — and if he continues in this vein, he has every reason to be optimistic.”
Ewan’s sister, Eve McMahon (Howth Yacht Club), also raced in Hyères, narrowly missing out on the Medal Race with a 13th place finish overall in the ILCA 6 fleet.
The Irish ILCA squad — Ewan McMahon, Eve McMahon, and Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) will next compete at the ILCA World Championships in Qingdao, China from 10–17 May. All three have shown impressive form since the start of the season and will be aiming to build further momentum on the world stage.