U23 Gold for Ireland at 49er Junior European Championships
Irish sailors Ben O’Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club) have won Gold at the 49er U23 European Championships.
The regatta took place in Sicily, Italy and concluded today, Sunday 9 November and featured the Olympic disciplines of Men and Women’s Skiff.
The Irish pair delivered a confident performance throughout the regatta, remaining tied for the lead before sealing victory with a decisive win on the final day. The regatta suffered a little from light winds, with racing postponed on Day 2, but Ben and Ethan made the most of it, building on their impressive senior debut earlier this year which saw some promising results including a race win and a second place.
Sean Evans, Irish Sailing Development Coach said, “The boys sailed so well at this event. It has been an honour to see how they’ve developed. They have taken lessons from the senior events and put them directly into practice. This result was really a culmination of all the things they have been trying to develop over the last number of years within the team. And not just the boys, but the entire skiff project that Irish Sailing has nurtured over the past couple of years, has really come to fruition, firstly with the girls taking Bronze at the Worlds in the summer and now this.”
Also competing at the event were three Irish crews in the 49erFX/Women’s Skiff including Erin McIlwaine (Newcastle Yacht Club) and Ellen Barbour (County Antrim Yacht Club) who finished sixth overall delivering a second, fourth and sixth place as some of their best. Lucia Cullen (Royal St. George) and Alana Twomey (Royal Cork Yacht Club) finished 14th and can a boast a second and third place finish from the competition. Lauren O’Callaghan (National Yacht Club) and Charlotte Eadie (Ballyholme Yacht Club) were 15th overall with a fourth and ninth as their best results.
Sean Evans continued, “This isn’t just about the individual win, it’s a team win. The environment that has been created is so positive. The future is bright for skiff sailing in Ireland and it will be exciting to see how these young adults develop into Olympic athletes.”
With Men’s and Women’s Skiff events confirmed for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, Ireland’s pathway to success looks stronger than ever. This follows on from the 4th-place finish by Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove at the Paris Olympics.
Full results from Sicily can be found here - 2025 Junior European Championship manage2sail