Ger Owens represented Ireland in the men’s 470 class dinghy at three consecutive Olympic Games – finishing 16th at Athens 2004 with Ross Killian, 16th at Beijing 2008 with Phil Lawton, and 23rd at London 2012 with Scott Flanigan.

From Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, and a member of the Royal St George Yacht Club, Owens was one of the most dedicated figures in Irish Olympic sailing of his era – the only Irish 470 helmsman to compete at three consecutive Games. His Beijing campaign was notable for containing two race wins that reflected his ability against the world’s best, even if the overall standings did not do justice to those individual performances.

His London partnership with the then 19-year-old Scott Flanigan had a striking back-story: Owens had previously served as Flanigan’s sailing coach while he was still a youth sailor, before the pair joined forces for their Olympic campaign – a partnership that moved Flanigan from ISAF youth sailing to Olympic competition in under two years. After retiring from Olympic campaigns Owens remained highly active in club and national racing on Dublin Bay, winning the Irish Sailing All Ireland Championships and competing at GP14 World Championships level, where he was widely regarded as one of the most competitive sailors on the Irish dinghy circuit.