The Irish Olympic sailors competing in the first major event towards LA 2028 face an uphill challenge in Mallorca on Thursday after mixed results from the opening day of Gold fleet racing.
Finn Lynch is best poised in fifth overall in the talent-laden men’s one-person dinghy (ILCA 7 class) where Britain’s Michael Bennett is dominating after a near-faultless regatta to date.
Both Lynch and Howth’s Ewan McMahon, his team-mate and rival for the sole berth in three years time, had near identical results on Wednesday, both incurring weighty scores that soaked up the single race discard allowance in race one of the day.
McMahon went on to beat Lynch in the day’s second race, taking 12th, two places ahead of the Carlow sailor.
However, Lynch’s double second places from Tuesday still give him the edge and he is well within striking range of the podium thanks to a very narrow points spread at the top of the 174-boat class.
Both Lynch and McMahon need a strong outings on Thursday and Friday – top 10s ideally – to secure places in Saturday’s medal race.
Meanwhile, McMahon’s younger sister Eve suffered a heavy blow after she found herself black-flag disqualified for early starting the first Gold fleet race.
“I had a really solid race, did everything right, (but) to come back in a find out that I was black flagged in the first race was a bit heartbreaking,” she said. “I could stand here and cry but there’s not much that will do ... there are still four more races and it’s a high-scoring regatta so I am where I am.”
“The conditions were extreme, you just had to hit a side [of the course], and say a Hail Mary – sometimes that’s just what you have to do in sailing.”
Meanwhile, the men’s skiff duo of Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove need to regain their opening series form with top-10 results to move up from 14th.
The skiffs sail four races daily so with two days remaining there is every possibility available to them.
