Ryan Seaton represented Ireland in the men’s 49er skiff at two Olympic Games, finishing 14th at London 2012 and 10th at Rio 2016, both times alongside crew Matt McGovern.

From Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, Seaton was introduced to sailing by his father before he could walk – family holidays were always spent on boats and the water was as natural an environment as dry land. He enrolled in a £1 Saturday morning sailing school at Carrickfergus Sailing Club at the age of five, and within five years had won the Irish National Championship in the Mirror Dinghy and finished 7th at the World Championships in South Africa.

He won the Irish National Championship in the Topper class aged 15 before transitioning to the Laser Radial as part of the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Squad, finishing 5th at the Laser Radial Worlds in California. He and McGovern were the first athletes from Northern Ireland to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics, securing their place by finishing 10th at the 2011 ISAF World Championships. London 2012 was, in his own words, a dream come true – his parents and brothers watched from the stands at his first ever 49er regatta.

He and McGovern qualified for Rio 2016 at the ISAF World Championships and reached 10th in the medal race. He subsequently attempted to qualify for a third Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 alongside Seafra Guilfoyle, but lost the qualification trial to Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove. He retired in 2021 after almost 30 years of competing, having met his wife through the sport.