Sean Waddilove
Sailing
BIOGRAPHY
Seán Waddilove represented Ireland alongside Robert Dickson in the men’s 49er skiff at two Olympic Games, finishing 13th at Tokyo 2020 and 4th at Paris 2024 – one of the most heartbreaking near-misses in Irish sporting history.
At Paris, sailing in Marseille, the pair held second place overall for the entire regatta week before a premature start in the medal race forced them to restart, leaving them a mountain to climb and ultimately dropping from silver to 4th. Waddilove is from Skerries, Co. Dublin and is a member of Skerries Sailing Club.
He began sailing aged seven or eight when his parents booked him onto a Taste of Sailing course at the club, and has represented Ireland internationally since the age of 12. He and Dickson first stepped into a 49er together at Howth Yacht Club in 2015 and won the U23 World Championship in Marseille in 2018. At Tokyo they won two races in the series but were twice disqualified due to a technical issue with the trapeze harness weight, which somewhat overshadowed an otherwise impressive debut. Waddilove put his studies at TU Dublin on hold after Tokyo to focus full-time on sailing given the extensive travel demands of the circuit.
OTHER SAILING ATHLETES
SAILING NEWS
Events Coming up in June 2026
Hockey IRL Men - FIH Hockey Nations Cup - South Africa - June 11 to 20 IRL Women - FIH Hockey Pro League Netherlands Stage - Rotterdam - June 13 to 18 IRL Women - FIH Hockey Pro League Germany Stage - Berlin - June 23 to 27 Swimming Sette Colli International, Rome, Italy, 26-28 [...]
PERFORMANCE ROUND UP – May 2026
A Month of Milestones, Momentum and Major Performances Team Ireland athletes delivered a powerful run of results across May and early June, producing historic wins, breakthrough performances and consistent podium finishes on the world stage. From Diamond League history in Shanghai to Nations Cup victory in Italy, and from European medals on the water to [...]
IN THE NEWS – MAY 25TH 2026
In the News – Team Ireland Round‑Up 25th May 2026 Irish athletes delivered standout performances across multiple sports this week, with personal bests, podium finishes and major milestones on the international stage. Sailing A superb week in Croatia saw Eve McMahon win U23 gold and finish fourth overall at the ILCA European Championships. In the [...]
In The News – May 18th 2026
Athletics Mark English made history with a landmark performance in the 800m, surging to victory in a meeting record time of 1:43.85 at the Shanghai Diamond League. The Donegal athlete becomes the first Irish male to win a Diamond League race, adding his name to a growing list of Irish winners on the circuit alongside [...]
Events coming up in May 2026
Athletics 2-3 May: World Athletics Relays, Gaborone, Botswana Boxing 3-10 May: Feliks Stamm Tournament, Warsaw, Poland Canoeing 29-31 May: Canoe Slalom World Cup 1, Ljubljana, Slovenia Cycling 1-3 May: Downhill & Cross-country Olympic World Series round 1, South Korea 22-24 May: Rás Tailteann, Ireland 22-24 May: Cross Country World Series, Czech Republic [...]
Eve McMahon Wins Gold with Standout Performance in Mallorca
Gold Standard: Eve McMahon Wins ILCA 6 at Princess Sofia Regatta Eve McMahon delivered one of the standout performances of the Easter weekend, claiming gold in the ILCA 6 class at the prestigious Princess Sofia Regatta in Mallorca. Competing in a fleet of more than 100 of the world’s leading sailors, McMahon produced a composed [...]