Sports journalists were updated yesterday on Irish Sailing’s preparations for London 2012.
Annalise Murphy, Laser Radial class, Peter O’Leary and David Burrows, Star keelboat and Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern ,49er dinghy were in attendance to answer questions on their performances and goals leading up to the Games in August.
James O’Callaghan, ISA Performance Director delivered a synopsis of the squad’s achievements to date, their upcoming events and their future targets. He also gave an insight in to the training the squad undertake and the strategic planning, structures and training behind the ISA Performance Pathway in which youths progress through to Olympic level.
Ireland has won only one Olympic sailing medal and that was in 1980 when David Wilkins and Jamie Wilkinson took silver at the boycotted Moscow Olympiad but O’Callaghan has been encouraged by this current groups consistency at World and Olympic Test events over the past two years in particular.
There are only nine regattas before the Olympic regatta and O’Callaghan is expecting six medal-race finishes and two medals as a sign that the team is on track to deliver in Weymouth.
