Maria Coleman competed in the women’s Europe class single-handed dinghy at two Olympic Games – finishing 12th at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 18th at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where she won one race in the series.

Born in Birmingham, England, she grew up in Baltimore, West Cork, and learned to sail aged five through Baltimore Sailing Club, competing in her first regatta at the age of seven. The third of seven children, she was drawn to the Europe class in her twenties and quickly established herself as one of the best Europe sailors in the world. Between the two Olympics she reached the pinnacle of her career: in 2001 she climbed to 2nd in the ISAF world rankings – the highest ranking ever achieved by an Irish sailor in any Olympic sailing class – and finished 3rd at the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta in Florida.

In recognition of these achievements she was named the 2001 Cork Dry Gin Sailor of the Year, Irish sailing’s most prestigious individual award, becoming the first woman ever to win it. She qualified for Athens by finishing 15th at the 2003 ISAF World Championships in Cadiz, earning a European berth. After retiring from competitive sailing she remained in Baltimore, West Cork, working as an IT professional, volunteering with Baltimore RNLI as a lifeboat crew member, and pursuing surfing.