Aisling Bowman (neé Byrne) competed in the women's 470 class sailing at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games alongside Cathy MacAleavey - making history as the first two Irish women ever to compete in Olympic sailing. Sailing had been an open event in previous Games but Seoul was the first edition to include a women's only sailing event.
The 470 regatta at Seoul was a tough struggle throughout in some of the most difficult conditions in the history of Olympic sailing, with a north-easterly wind that never dropped below 12 knots and on occasions exceeded 30 knots, with unpredictable currents.
Byrne went on to compete in the Europe one-person dinghy at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics under her married name of Bowman where she finished in 10th position.
More recently, as a breast cancer survivor, Bowman has been involved in fitness challenges such as Everest in the Lakes and Everest in the Alps.
Sailing
