Grand Slam Bronze Medal for Lynch at Kieler Woche
Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) secured a Bronze medal today at Kieler Woche in Germany, marking his second podium finish in the Sailing Grand Slam series. The result comes after a composed and strategic performance in the final Medal Race, where he placed third.
Italian sailors Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini and Dimitri Peroni claimed Gold and Silver, having built a solid lead through the early rounds of the regatta.
“Finn had a rough start with a black flag on day one, but he bounced back strongly and kept himself in medal contention,” said Ben Walkemeyer, ILCA 7 coach for Irish Sailing. “The Medal Race Invitational we ran recently at Irish Sailing HQ gave him great preparation—he handled the pressure brilliantly, especially under attack from German rival Philip Buhl, who was just three points behind. Finn managed the shift from defensive sailing to leading tactics really well.”
This marks another strong result for Lynch in the early stages of this Olympic cycle, following a Bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta and a 15th-place finish at the World Championships in China. He now heads to the USA with teammate Ewan McMahon (Howth YC) for the LA Sailing Grand Slam.
Dickson and Waddilove Show Their Class
In the 49er class, Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove (Howth YC & Skerries SC) delivered an excellent Medal Race performance, finishing second after leading much of the race. They ended the event fifth overall, narrowly missing the podium.
“It was a challenging course, but great to finally get some breeze,” said their coach Matt McGovern. “The guys have been working on light wind sailing, and once conditions improved, they were flying. We lost a full day of racing midweek, which left us with limited opportunities, but they performed really well.”
Next, Dickson and Waddilove travel to Poland for Gdynia Sailing Days, a key regatta on the road to LA 2028. Gdynia will host the 2027 49er World Championships and is a likely Olympic trial venue.
Eve McMahon (Howth YC), current World No. 1 in ILCA 6, finished 16th overall after a mixed Gold Fleet series.
In ILCA 7, Ewan McMahon (Howth YC) placed 23rd overall, while teammates Tom Coulter (East Antrim BC) and Fiachra McDonnell (Royal Irish YC) competed in the Bronze fleet, finishing 109th and 104th respectively in a 148-boat fleet.
Development Athletes Gain Experience
Irish Sailing fielded a large team at Kieler Woche, including several development athletes who showed promise against elite international fields.
In the 49er class, newcomers Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain (Royal Cork YC & National YC) made an impressive senior debut, finishing second in their opening race and qualifying for Gold Fleet. They concluded the event 29th overall, outside Medal Race qualification.
In the 49erFX class, Erin McIllwaine (Royal St George YC) and Ellen Barbour (Newcastle YC) placed 40th overall, with several encouraging top-20 finishes.
Kieler Woche is one of the world’s largest sailing festivals, drawing over three million visitors each year. Now part of the five-event Sailing Grand Slam circuit, it includes four elite European regattas and one in the future Olympic sailing venue of Los Angeles 2028