Ireland has taken the single Paris 2024 Olympic berth after today’s 49er Europen Championships medal race was cancelled in Vilamoura due to lack of wind.
Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove led the five nation fight for the single place on offer and had sailed a consistent series to be eight overall when racing was scrubbed.
The medal race was billed as a nailbiting showdown for the nation’s spot, with Italians Simone Ferrarese and Leonardo Chistè desperate to close the 3 point gap on their Irish rivals.
Having finished day one in 46th place, the Italians got better by the day and could have posed a serious threat to Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove.
When the racing was cancelled, the Irish burst into celebration and when they came ashore, the welcoming party was dressed in green, including Dickson’s parents. “We’re just over the moon,” said Dickson as he clinked champagne glasses with his teammate. “A massive relief to win a place at the Games.”
The Irish programme now focuses on a 2024 trial series involving Ireland's second 49er campaign sailed by Royal Cork's Seafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan to decide who will be on the Marseille start line now that Ireland has earned its place.
France wins
Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros of France won the 49er European Championships overall by less than a point from Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki from Poland. If the Medal Race had gone ahead, they would have gone in effectively tied and ready to compete in a who-beats-who scenario. The points were so tight in the men’s 49ers that any of the top six would have had a realistic shot at the gold medal.
But with the wind failing to materialise, Rual and Amoros can celebrate their first major victory in the 49er class. Buksak and Wierzbicki took the silver, and Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie of New Zealand the bronze.
Having led for much of the week, Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl will be disappointed to have missed the podium by just 2 points, but at least the Austrians know they are back in the game and able to compete at the highest level after a lacklustre year.
Read more about the progress of Ireland's top 49er duo in our dedicated Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove category