Irish sailors Ben O’Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club) produced a strong finish to claim fifth place at the 49er Junior World Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands. The Irish crew enjoyed an eventful week of racing, recording two race wins and two fourth-place finishes among their best results.
After progressing to the Gold Fleet in 19th place, O’Shaughnessy and Spain delivered an impressive Final Series performance, climbing 14 places on the leaderboard to secure a top-five finish. Helm Ben O’Shaughnessy said: “It was far from a straightforward week of racing. The standard at junior level is very high, with everyone pushing hard, and we struggled in some of the qualifying races to break into the front of the fleet.
“We entered the Final Series in 19th place and knew the pressure was on to make up as much ground as possible. The Gold Fleet racing over the weekend was even shiftier and trickier than the qualifying rounds, but we were able to draw on the experience we have gained from competing at senior regattas throughout the year.
“We found a good rhythm in the Final Series and are very happy with how we moved up the leaderboard and finished the championship strongly.”
The result rounded off a busy and valuable season for O’Shaughnessy and Spain, who competed at two Sailing Grand Slam events as well as the senior 49er European and World Championships. Their exposure to high-level international competition has provided valuable experience as they continue their progression in the Men’s Skiff discipline.