Lynch on the cusp of Olympic qualification with two races to go at Sailing World Championships
Ireland’s Finn Lynch delivered two solid performances in a highly tricky day at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Hague today as the Carlow sailor seeks to qualify the nation for the Paris 2024 Olympic regatta.
A strong tidal current and fresh winds meant a very physical and tactical day for the ILCA7 class single-handers. In the opening race, Lynch placed second at the first mark but he clipped the inflatable buoy as the tide swept up against him. After taking his penalty turn, he went on to take eighth place.
Tide again played a pivotal role in the second race that saw Lynch finish 17th in the 80-strong fleet. With two races remaining, on the overnight standings he is within the Olympic qualifying criteria in 14th out of 16 nations.
“Finn needed to deliver a solid day and he did just that,” said James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Manager. “We’re still in the mix going into the final day two races so a repeat performance or better would be ideal.”
Ireland’s second boat racing in Gold fleet for the ILCA7 event saw Ewan McMahon avoid multiple collisions in the tidal surge at the first mark and place 23rd in the opening race. He then discarded a 50th in the next race to hold 43rd overall and aiming to deliver a top half overall result at the end of the event.
Friday’s forecast is for light winds in the morning when the final two races are currently scheduled for. With Spring tide conditions reaching their fastest flow of the week, Saturday’s reserve day may yet be needed to complete the fleet series.
