Medal Series for McMahon in World Championship
Ireland’s Eve McMahon has qualified for tomorrow’s Medal Series at the ILCA Women’s World Championship in Dún Laoghaire.
Very light and shifting winds made for a difficult final day of Gold Fleet racing on Dublin Bay. Two races were scheduled to complete the Elimination Series, but only one could be sailed.
McMahon’s race did not go to plan. The Howth Yacht Club sailor was over the line at the start and was forced to return, leaving her with considerable ground to make up in conditions where opportunities to recover were limited.
She finished towards the back of the fleet, with the result becoming her discard, and moved two places to ninth overall.
McMahon made a better start in the second attempted race, but the wind soon faded and racing was abandoned. With no further racing possible, the standings remained unchanged and McMahon’s place among the ten sailors progressing to the Medal Series was confirmed.
Speaking after racing she said, “I had one job today, which was to sail two good races. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but I managed to put together a consistent enough scoreline across the week to qualify for the Medal Series, so that’s a positive.
“I have to remember that these sailors are the best in the world and many of them have seven to ten years more experience than I do.
“I’ll go out and fight for two solid races tomorrow and see how much I can gain. Then I’ll take everything I’ve learned here into next season and the next World Championship in Brazil, which will be an Olympic qualifier.”
Olympic medallist Annalise Murphy finished 31st in the only race completed today, leaving her outside the top ten and out of the Medal Series. She will compete in tomorrow’s Fleet Race, which brings together the remaining Gold and Silver Fleet sailors to determine the final overall positions, before joining the commentary team for the Medal Series.
Irish Sailing Development sailor Lucy Ives (Royal St George Yacht Club) and Howth Yacht Club’s Sienna Wright also had a difficult day on the water, both recording mid-fleet finishes. Wright is now second in the Silver Fleet standings, while Ives sits 27th. Both sailors will contest their final Fleet Race tomorrow.
The Medal Series begins at 1.30pm tomorrow, with the top ten sailors contesting two decisive races. The USA’s Charlotte Rose leads Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert, but with points halved ahead of the series, the margins have narrowed significantly and the podium remains wide open. Gold is now mathematically out of reach for Eve McMahon, but she remains in contention for silver or bronze.
The action can be followed via the live broadcast here with commentary from RTÉ sailing correspondent Maurice O’Connell and Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy.