Team Ireland Sailors – Paris 2024
The Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially selected the sailing team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Rio Olympian, Finn Lynch, will compete in the Men’s Dinghy, and Tokyo Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove compete in the Men’s Skiff. Eve McMahon makes her Olympic debut this summer, having qualified in the Women’s Dinghy.
Sailing is one of several sports that will be based outside the city of Paris, with the competition taking place in Marseille. The Irish sailing team has based themselves on location for the past number of years, familiarising themselves with the unique environment in this part of the south of France.
Dickson and Waddilove are first in action, with their competition in the Skiff running from 28 July to 1 August. Lynch and McMahon compete in the Dinghy from the 1 – 6 August.
Speaking on the official selection, Dubliner Lynch said,
“It’s a real honour to be selected for the Irish Sailing team at the Olympics in 2024, I’m really looking forward to training hard over the next few weeks and to go out and do my best. It’s great that we have four sailors on the team going out to compete at the Games. I think the team is in a good spot and we can do something special.”
Olympic Federation of Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Gavin Noble said,
“It is great to officially select the sailing team – we have three boats, with four talented sailors representing Team Ireland in Marseille. Three of the athletes are returning Olympians, with Eve making her debut. The strength and depth across the categories is high, and the standard of these crews is a testament to the success of the wider sailing squad.”
James O’Callaghan, Sailing Performance Director said,
“Today is a really special day for our athletes as well as their families and the support team. This is about the culmination of hard work they’ve put in over the last four years and ultimately since they first dreamed about going to the Olympics.
“Today is the recognition of their selection to the team for Paris 2024 and we could not be prouder of their efforts and the support team that works behind those efforts to make it all possible. It is a day to savour, and we are really looking forward to the Olympic Sailing regatta in Marseilles later this summer.”
This brings to thirty-two the official number of athletes who have so far been selected to represent Team Ireland at Paris 2024, a Games that will see us celebrate our centenary competing as a nation at the Olympic Games. The team announcements for each sport will follow over the coming weeks, with the final team announcement scheduled for the beginning of July. The Olympic Games in Paris will run from the 24th July to the 11th August 2024, with the Opening Ceremony taking place on the 26th July.
TEAM IRELAND PARIS SAILING ANNOUNCEMENT:
Men’s Dinghy:
Finn Lynch – Dublin (Rio Olympian)
Women’s Dinghy:
Eve McMahon – Dublin
Men’s Skiff:
Robert Dickson – Dublin (Tokyo Olympian)
Sean Waddilove – Dublin (Tokyo Olympian)
Profiles
EVE MCMAHON
Age: 20
World Ranking: 12th (best to date)
Olympic Ranking: 12th
Hometown: Howth, Dublin
Club: Howth YC
Coach: Rory Fitzpatrick
When she was younger, Eve followed in the footsteps of her two older brothers (Ewan and Jamie) and started summer sailing courses in Howth YC at the age of just 7. Although new enough to the senior circuit she started training alongside senior athletes long before this Olympic cycle. She worked as both Anne-Marie Rindom’s DEN (Tokyo Olympic Gold medallist) and Annalise Murphy’s IRL, official training partner for the Tokyo Olympic cycle.
So, it is no surprise that after finishing her time in the youth fleet with a Triple Crown, McMahon then went on to qualify Ireland in the ILCA 6 fleet for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. McMahon would like to be the most successful Irish female, ILCA 6 sailor ever and be a figurehead for women in sport, especially sailing.
- Paris 2024 Team Ireland Olympian
- 2023 U21 ILCA 6 World Champion
- 2022 Youth ILCA 6 World Sailing Champion
- 2022 Youth ILCA 6 European Championship
- 2021 ILCA 6 Youth World Championship
- 2021 U19 Silver Medallist European Championships
- Irish Sailing Volvo Youth Sailor of the Year 2019, 2020 and 2021, 2022
Eve was also awarded Irish Sailing’s Sailor of the Year 2023 as well as UCD’s Sportsperson of the Year and was nominated for RTE’s Young Sportsperson of the Year. She is from from Howth Co. Dublin, and on being selected for the Irish Olympic Team she is one of Team Ireland’s Paris Scholars studying Commerce International at UCD.
Eve additionally had the unique opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame on the initial stages of its journey landing in Marseille, France, where she will be competing this summer, on its route to the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
FINN LYNCH:
Age: 28
World Ranking: 7th (2nd best rank in 2022)
Olympic Ranking: 7th
Hometown: Carlow
Club: The National Yacht Club
Coach: Vasijli Zgobar
After achieving the ranking of World No.2 in 2022 Finn went onto qualify Ireland in the ILCA 7 class for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He is Carlow born but first learned to sail on Blessington Lake at the age of eight in Co. Wicklow. Both of his older brothers went through the Irish Sailing pathway and from an early age he wanted to follow in their footsteps.
His breakthrough in performance came when he achieved three top ten results in world cup regatta’s in 2019.
- Paris 2024 Team Ireland Olympian
- 2024 Bronze Medal, ILCA Europeans, Athens
- 2023 Olympic Qualification
- 2021 Silver medal, ILCA7 World Championships, Barcelona,
- Rio 2016 Olympian
- 2014 U19 World Champion, ILCA
- 2012, Silver Medallist, Youth World Championships
Finn was also awarded Irish Sailing’s Sailor of the Year in 2020 and 2022. Alongside this he also won Irish Sailing’s Champions’ Cup in 2023
ROBERT DICKSON
Age: 26
World Ranking: –
Olympic Ranking: 27th
Hometown: Sutton, Dublin
Club: Howth Yacht Club
Coach: Matt McGovern
Robert is the Helm of a 49er that he sails with Seán Waddilove. The pair previously represented Ireland at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where they won two races. Rob learned to sail at an early age on the Shannon in an old wooden Optimist with his family. Like most young sailors in Ireland he ventured onto one of the summer courses in Lough Ree Yacht Club and from there began traveling Ireland and competing nationally at the age of 10.
A highlight for Rob from the last two years would be their 8th place at the 49er Europeans in 2023 that secured them Olympic Qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
- Paris 2024 Team Ireland Olympian
- 2023 Paris Olympic Qualification
- 2022 2nd Place Allianz World Cup, Almere, Netherlands
- Tokyo 2021 Team Ireland Olympian
- 2021 Two race wins Tokyo 2020
- 2021 3rd Lanzarote International Regatta and Qualification for Tokyo 2020
- 2021 8th Place, World Championships, Mussanah, Oman
- 2019 Bronze U23 49er World Championships, Norway
SEÁN WADDILOVE
Age: 25
World Ranking: –
Olympic Ranking: 27th
Hometown: Skerries, Co. Dublin
Club: Skerries Sailing Club
Coach: Matt McGovern
Seán started sailing at the early age of 8 when his parents booked him onto a Taste of Sailing course in Skerries Sailing Club. In his own words he “fell in love with the sport and has been sailing ever since.”
Seán is the crew of a 49er he sails with Robert Dickson. The pair previously represented Ireland at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where they won two races. But their success as a pair started early when they became World U23 Champions in Marseille.
- Paris 2024 Team Ireland Olympian
- 2023 Paris Olympic Qualification
- 2022 2nd Place Allianz World Cup, Almere, Netherlands
- Tokyo 2021 Team Ireland Olympian
- 2021 Two race wins Tokyo 2020
- 2021 3rd Lanzarote International Regatta and Qualification for Tokyo 2020
- 2021 8th Place, World Championships, Mussanah, Oman
- 2019 Bronze U23 49er World Championships, Norway
A highlight for Sean would be qualifying for his second Olympics with a 5th-place finish at the 2024 European Championships, La Grande Motte, France.