Displaying items by tag: ILCA 7
Mark Lyttle’s devotion to the Laser/ILCA class is truly world league, as he has continued to race the boat for decades, from success at junior level right up to becoming World Grand Master Champion on Dublin Bay in 2018. There’s no sign of letup, as February’s ILCA World Masters in Australia saw him regularly on the podium, and he finished a sunlit but extremely demanding series with the Bronze in the main division to make him an Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month”.
National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch Earns Bronze Medal at European ILCA 7 Championships in Athens
With a final day turn of speed, the National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch won the bronze medal at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Athens today (Friday, 23rd February 2024) after a three-race final day that ended the weather-hit event.
The Carlow sailor had a consistent day of top-ten results to end the eight-race regatta on equal points with Hungary’s Jonatan Vadnai, who took the silver on a tie-break.
This marks Vadnai’s second Senior Europeans medal, following his Bronze win in 2021, while it’s Lynch’s first Senior European prize in his career.
Both boats were just four points off Gold, where Valterri Uusiltalo topped the 141-boat fleet for Finland.
Lynch now adds a Bronze to his world championship silver at Barcelona in 2021 as he aims to secure the Irish place for the Men's single-handed event at the Paris 2024 Olympics this Summer.
Green Rebel McMahon
The Rio 2016 Olympic veteran was in the second round of a selection trials series with Ewan McMahon (Howth YC), who ended this week's event in 17th place and, at times, was leading Lynch.
While a third regatta was included in the Irish selection trials series, Lynch cannot be beaten and is set to be nominated for Paris.
There were plaudits in Athens for McMahon's independent Green Rebel campaign, too. The recently graduated UCD Engineering student rose to the challenge this week and regained Sport Ireland funding status for any future campaign for LA2028.
"It was very tricky, very up and down for the three races of mostly six knots, maximum eleven," commented Lynch's Laser Coach Vasilij Zbogar. "We were hoping for a little more wind, preferably over 10 knots, where Finn definitely has an edge. But we wanted a medal here, we got a medal here, so we're happy."
Finnish sailor Valtteri Uusitalo made an impressive debut as a Senior European medalist, clinching the Gold prize by finishing atop the fleet after eight races with a total of 42 points.
"Very difficult day for me. I mean, super tricky conditions but I guess I managed to do quite well. I am very pleased with myself," Uusitalo said.
In terms of the Olympic spots at stake, Omer Vered Vilenchik and Zan Luka Zelko emerged as the winners, securing the ILCA 7 tickets for Israel and Slovenia in Paris 2024.
Top 10 ILCA 7 Senior Europeans:
Valtteri Uusitalo FIN 42 pt
Jonatan Vadnai HUN 46 pt
Finn Lynch IRL 46 pt
Finley Dickinson GBR 49 pt
Benjamin Vadnai HUN 53 pt
Dimitri Peroni ITA 59 pt
Eduardo Marques POR 61 pt
Omer Vered Vilenchik ISR 65 pt
Tonci Stipanovic CRO 73 pt
Alexandre Boite FRA 74 pt
Irish rivals Finn Lynch and Ewan McMahon have been left frustrated for the second consecutive day as their Olympic trial was postponed due to high pressure over Greece, leaving the ILCA 7 European Championships without racing in Athens today.
The two sailors are competing in the six-day series, which also serves as part of the selection trials for the single national place already secured for the Men's single-handed event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, the ongoing weather conditions have been a major hurdle for the athletes.
Despite the delay, if conditions improve on Tuesday, the event organisers will attempt to sail additional races to regain the races lost from the schedule so far. The championship requires a minimum of four races to constitute an effective competition.
Lynch, who represents the National Yacht Club, and McMahon, of Howth Yacht Club, currently world-ranked 15th and 25th respectively, were afloat for several hours in their 141-boat ILCA7, waiting for the wind to arrive.
Eve McMahon
In the women's ILCA 6 event, Eve McMahon, also of Howth YC, had no racing, though her event was able to sail a single race on Sunday to begin their series.
With four days remaining in the event schedule, the organisers are hopeful of delivering sufficient races before Friday's finale.
Eve McMahon Scores 21st as ILCA 6 European Championships Opens in Athens
Ireland's Paris 2024 qualified Eve McMahon opened her account at the ILCA 6 European Championships in Athens, Greece, today with a 21st place.
With several top rivals absent, the Howth Yacht Club teen has an excellent opportunity to build on her already impressive season.
Lithuanian sailor Viktorija Andrulyte LTU was the winner today in the Blue fleet, while Elena Vorobeva CRO did the same in the yellow one. Both sailors are also in the fight for qualifying their nations to the Olympics so it’s a double prize for them.
German sailors Julia Buesselberg GER and Pia Kuhlman GER come next with 2 points, followed by the 2023 World champion Maria Erdi HUN and Evangelia Karageorgou GRE with 3. Evangelia is also in the fight to qualify Greece for Paris 2024.
2024 World champion and reigning Olympic champion Anne-Marie Rindom DEN (1x Gold medal at the Europeans) was seventh, the 2023 World champion Maria Erdi HUN (Bronze medalist in last Europeans in Andora) was fifth and the twice Senior European champion Agata Barwinska POL, who clinched the title in 2021 and 2022 was ninth.
Several of the latest World and European Youth medalists are also competing in Athens, eager to make their mark among the Seniors. This talented group includes Ireland's McMahon, Chiara Benini ITA, Emma Mattivi ITA, Maria Vitoria Arseni ITA, Giorgia Della Valle ITA, Shai Kakon ISR, Marilena Makri CYP, Petra Marendic CRO and Ana Moncada ESP.
17 European nations have already secured qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games in ILCA 6. These nations include:
BEL, DEN, ESP, FIN, FRA, GBR, GER, HUN, IRL, ITA, NED, NOR, POL, POR*, SUI, SWE and TUR.
Fourteen European nations are yet to qualify for the Olympics, and their sailors will be competing in Athens for the two available tickets. These nations include:
BUL (1 sailor), CRO (6 sailors), CYP (2 sailors), CZE (3 sailors), EST (3 sailors), GRE (14 sailors), ISR (4 sailors), LAT (1 sailor), LTU (1 sailor), MLT (1 sailor), ROU (1 sailor), SRB (1 sailor), SLO (2 sailors) and UKR (3 sailors).
Racing is scheduled to continue daily from Monday to Friday - weather permitting - with the opening round comprising a qualification series of at least four races to decide Gold fleet.
The top ten finishers will compete for the medal race final on Friday to decide the podium.
Lynch and McMahon Wait for Wind in Athens as Both Irish Olympic Trialists Make Top 25 of ILCA 7 World Rankings
As the second trial for the Irish Paris 2024 nomination was becalmed in Greece today at the ILCA7 European Championships, the February World Rankings reveal both Irish trialists are in the top 25.
Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club), who finished ninth at January's World Championships, is ranked 15th, while Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) reaches a new high at 25 in his independent 'Green Rebel' campaign.
High pressure over Athens left competitors without racing on the opening day of the Championships (Sunday, 18th February).
Lynch and McMahon were amongst the 141-boat ILCA7 class left waiting for the breeze to arrive. Although the fleet eventually went afloat, no racing was possible.
A similar forecast is predicted for Monday, though there are indications of wind for Tuesday.
Lynch has the upper hand on McMahon after the first of three trials at the Australian World Championships, but with a light wind forecast and some significant absences in Athens this week, there is an opportunity for McMahon.
As Afloat reported last November, despite achieving the necessary published criteria at a recent World Cup, the McMahon campaign says that his application for Sport Ireland funding for 2024 was "disallowed following a decision by Irish Sailing (IS) to invalidate the event’s qualification status".
The ISA then determined that the World Cup event in Almere did not meet the “minimum standard of fleet” to qualify as a carding event under the 2024 Carding Scheme rules.
Whatever the criteria may be, with only two sailors campaigning, February 2024's world rankings represent a standard McMahon's campaign will no doubt say merits his inclusion on the national team, which currently has only one ILCA 7 member.
Irish Sailors Finn Lynch and Ewan McMahon Continue Battle for Olympic Spot in Men's Single-Handed Event at Paris 2024 Regatta
Irish sailors Finn Lynch and Ewan McMahon are battling it out for a spot in the Men's ILCA 7 single-handed event at the Paris 2024 Olympic regatta. With just five months to go before the event begins in Marseilles, the two are gearing up for the second of three regattas at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Athens next week.
It'll be an interesting week if Carlow's Lynch – after finishing ninth overall in last month's ILCA 7 class world championships in Adelaide, Australia – can hold form. He could arguably expect a top-five finish as the Athens fleet does not appear to be as high quality as Adelaide. Only three of the World Championship medal race competitors are entered (Lynch, Kontides and Jurassic), with a host of World and European athletes marked absent, such as British ace Micky Beckett from Wales, his training partner Sam Whaley of GBR, Tomassgard of Norway, Bernaz of FRA, Bos of NED and Buhl of GER.
Lynch hailing from the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay holds the edge in the Irish trials but 'Green Rebel' independent campaigner McMahon, from Howth Yacht Club, is not too far behind and is expected to put up a stiff challenge at the upcoming event in Greece.
With a total of 141 boats participating in the event, the competition is sure to be intense. A strong showing by McMahon could leave the pair needing the French Olympic Week event in April to decide the Irish Sailing nomination to the Olympic Federation of Ireland.
The trials will be decided on a high-points scoring basis that incentivizes both sailors to concentrate on their best regatta score rather than winning the place for Paris 2024. Lynch, who previously won Silver at the 2021 World Championship in Barcelona, is keen to secure his spot in the Olympics after missing qualification for the Tokyo Games.
Despite the notoriously demanding nature of the Men's single-handed event, Lynch is raring to go and has his sights firmly set on Olympic glory. If he can hold off McMahon and secure his place in the Irish team, he'll be one step closer to achieving his dream.
Welsh Sailor Micky Beckett Wins Bronze at ILCA 7 World Championship
Team GB sailor Micky Beckett believes he can still beat all-conquering Aussie Matt Wearn at the Olympics after banking bronze at the World Championships.
The Welsh star, whose home port is the Irish seaport of Pembroke, overcame a tough start in Adelaide to reach the podium yet again at a major event in the ILCA 7 boat class.
Beckett - already selected for this summer’s Games - brushed off a penalty in qualifying to win bronze with 41 points, an ocean ahead of fourth place.
“It was a hell of a week,” said Beckett, from Solva, Pembrokeshire. “The task to go one better than silver last year was always going to be enormous, even without the circumstances that we faced.
“The conditions were familiar, but it still was not a job done, I had one unfortunate rules incident on day one and started in tenth.
“I had to work my way up through the field and it was absolutely gruelling. It was the toughest week of sailing of my life. I’m battered and bruised but to have the composure to finish that high up in the field in conditions that don’t suit me is very pleasing.”
Beckett’s points tally in the 11-race regatta was more than enough to beat Germany’s Philipp Buhl, who finished fourth with 65. But gold standard still belongs to Wearn, out on his own with three race wins and only two counting finishes outside of the top three.
Wearn overtook Beckett to win gold at last year’s worlds and on Olympic waters in Marseille at the Test Event, with this the latest chapter in a compelling rivalry.
ILCA7 WORLDS - 30-1-2024 - 02338
“Matt has clearly set the benchmark for what needs to be done to win,” said Beckett. “He sails in a consistently good way and often, not far off perfection.
“But I know I can beat him, particularly in the kind of conditions we’re going to get in the Mediterranean. There’s a bit of work to do to get there but it’s motivating to have him setting such a high benchmark. Australia is a very strong nation across the board.
“To win the biggest Championships, it’s all about consistency. It’s not that attractive a thing to work on, but winning the top regattas is about putting out 11 solid races.
“I’m good at doing eight or nine at the moment. I have to work out how to stay out of trouble in those other two and how to put together the kind of consistent series that’s going to challenge Matt.”
The opening day took place in glamour conditions, with Beckett ending it in seventh but Swanage's Sam Whaley frustrated after seeing the second race called off when he was leading by a significant margin.
“Moments like that do reassure you that I’m doing the right thing and on the right path, it was only an act of nature that stopped me from winning it,” Whaley (pictured below) reflected. “It’s unlucky but that’s the sport we’re in.”
Beckett jumped into second place with a pair of wins in light winds on day three as Whaley finished an impressive second in the sixth race of the 11-race regatta.
A gusty fourth day brought a massive physical test, but Beckett was able to stay in touch, trailing Wearn by just one point at that stage.
Wearn took a nine-point lead into the medal race that he went on to win, with Beckett placing fifth.
Whaley led the rest of the British Sailing Team in finishing 18th, with Dan Whiteley coming 45th, James Percival-Cooke 60th and Fin Dickinson 72nd.
Dickinson, from Hayling Island, said: “It’s been a tricky week. I don’t think I clicked with this venue very well, I never found myself doing things that resulted in me ending up near the front of the fleet. It’s not particularly an event-focused year for me, I’m just trying to work on my fitness.”
The ILCA 7 squad now have a quick turnaround to the European Championships in Athens later this month.
“I’d really hope that at the Europeans I can show what I can really do, that’s the perfect place to do it I think, straight after this, still hungry to do well and do as best as you can," said Percival-Cooke.
Beckett will test himself against the best on two further occasions before the ILCA 7 racing at the Olympics begins on 1 August.
He will return to action at the traditional European curtain-raiser, the prestigious Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma, from 29 March to 6 April.
French Olympic Week at Hyeres, a regatta he describes as a ‘half-time check-in’, follows from 22-29 April and acts as the last chance qualifier in other boat classes.
Beckett does not need to worry about qualification or selection having been part of an initial group of ten sailors named to Team GB in October.
“[Being selected] definitely gives you that peace of mind,” said Beckett. “All it’s about now getting to the Games in the best possible shape to win the gold medal.”
Australia's Matt Wearn Successfully Defends ILCA 7 Men's World Championship title, Ireland's Finn Lynch is Ninth
In a show of strength in the world's hottest dinghy class, Australian Matt Wearn successfully defended his ILCA 7 Men's World Championship title on home waters after an epic 11-race strong wind battle.
Wearn wrapped up the Adelaide championships with a substantial ten-point margin over Norway's Hermann Tomasgaard in second on 34 points and Britain's Michael Beckett in third on 41.
The top three in the 153-boat fleet had the podium positions locked away ahead of the medal race, but the rest of the top ten had some minor reshuffling.
Ireland's Finn Lynch of the National Yacht Club earned a coveted medal race place and finished ninth overall to secure his third top ten result at world championships in four years (including a silver medal in 2021).
"Finn fought to the end and ninth overall is a good result," commented his coach Vasilij Zbogar. "It’s another solid performance, and we are getting closer and closer to the top guys in strong winds, so that's good news."
The Rio 2016 Olympian has already qualified Ireland for Paris 2024, and this world championship is the first of a three-event selection trials series to decide the nomination to the Olympic Federation of Ireland for the national team.
Ireland's second contender in the Gold fleet, Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club), closed out his regatta with 29th place in the single final fleet race, leaving him 41st overall.
The Dublin sailor is campaigning independently to challenge Lynch for the Paris 2024 Team Ireland place in the Men's single-handed event.
The next event on the ILCA 7 calendar is the European Championships in Greece in just a few week's time.
Results below and replay the medal race here
Finn Lynch Moves Up to Eighth and Earns Medal Race Place at ILCA 7 Laser World Championships
Ireland's Finn Lynch will take a coveted place in the medal race final of the ILCA 7 Mens World Championships on Wednesday after finishing eighth overall after four gold fleet races in Adelaide, Australia.
Racing in strong wind conditions, the National Yacht Club sailor recovered from a black flag disqualification score on Monday in the single discard regatta to post a 9 and 21 to move up from ninth to eighth overall on 79 points in the 153-boat fleet.
Big breeze and steep swells have been on the menu most of the week as Adelaide provided testing championship essentials for the world's hottest dinghy fleet. Conditions on the final day were the most spectacular of the week with winds gusting to 30 knots.
In the first race of the day, Lynch made a promising start but unfortunately capsized midway through the race. Despite the setback, he managed to recover quickly but found himself trailing by over 30 places behind the race leaders. In a commendable effort, Lynch managed to regain some ground and finished the race in 21st position, minimizing the damage to his overall standing.
In the second race, with the wind at its strongest, the Rio 2016 veteran returned to his more usual form, serving up a ninth place, his seventh top ten result of the ten races sailed since last Friday.
Lynch is on course to secure his third top ten result at world championship level in four years (including a silver medal in 2021). The best outcome he can aim for in the event is sixth overall, as the top three boats are already certain of podium places after the single-medal race final.
The regatta concludes with a top 10 medal race on Wednesday, with that race score worth double points and cannot be discarded.
Ireland's second sailor in Adelaide, Ewan McMahon, scored 36.0 and (41.0) to lie 41st overall in the first of three Irish Olympic Trials for the Paris 2024 Regatta in the men's singlehanded class.
Reigning champion Matt Wearn of Australia leads into the medal race with 22 points from Normway's Hermann Tomasgaard on 30 with Britain's Michael Beckett on 31.
Results below
The National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch scored two top-ten results in the opening races of the ILCA7 world championships in Adelaide, Australia, today to take an early lead in the Irish Olympic selection trial for Paris 2024 against rival Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club. The Rio Olympian is lying tenth overall in the 153-strong fleet.
McEwan opened his championship account with 24th place before earning a strong ninth place in race two to lie in 40th place.
See results sheet below
"Finn had a decent day, and the goal is to have top tens in the qualifying races, especially as there's just one discard for the whole event," commented coach Vasilij Zbogar. "Ewan had one good race and one average but proved that he can be in front - he just needs a little more consistency in the coming races."
Maximising points at this early stage of the regatta is essential as the 153 competitors are split across three qualifying fleets to determine the Gold fleet line-up for the finals series that begins on Monday.
"We had beautiful wind for the first day but very challenging and physically demanding long races - hard for the sailors," said Zbogar. "Definitely, everyone is taking as little risk as possible, as the first three days are the most important for qualifying."
Norwegian Hermann Tomasgaard won his two opening races giving himself the perfect start to his 2024 campaign.
"There's just one discard for the whole event"
With the 153-strong entry list split between three qualifying fleets, Tomasgaard drew first blood in the red fleet with two race wins, while Australian hopefuls Matt Wearn and Luke Elliott took a race win each in the yellow fleet, and Philipp Buhl (GER) and Mickey Beckett (GBR) each took a win in blue fleet.
It sets the scene for an exciting battle at the front of the fleet with Tomasgaard a point clear in first, Elliott second on three points, and Buhl third on four points, however it remains far too early to identify any key favourites for the title.
German Philipp Buhl, a world champion from the last time the ILCA 7 Worlds were in Australia, said the first day of the Worlds was always an important one to ensure you got away to a good start.
“The first day today was pretty solid and I’m quite happy with the result even though I didn’t manage to get off the start line too well in the first race,” he said.
“In the beginning of an event, basically it is all about not having a big score, so I managed to do this and came through the day quite cleanly in amazing conditions.
“This World Championships means quite a lot to me personally, because it’s part of my Olympic selection that is not done yet for us in Germany, and it’s a World Championships where you always want to do well.”
The top Aussie sailors are all in good shape as well, which was to be expected on home waters, with the five Australian Sailing Team and Australian Sailing Squad members all inside the top 20 after the first day.
Australian Sailing Squad member Finn Alexander finished the first day with a 9,7 scorecard and said the team was in good shape to perform well over the next week.
“We’ve spent a bit of time here in Adelaide and it’s a beautiful place, the weather absolutely turned it on today, we had a really nice gradient breeze of about 10-20 knots, you can’t really ask for much more on day one of a Worlds,” he said.
“We’ve got a really strong contingent, we’ve got five really good guys (in the squad) and we’ve all been pushing hard, backed up with a really solid futures group, so the future of Australian sailing is looking pretty good.”
Tomorrow’s forecast is looking like it will offer more glamour Adelaide conditions with variable morning weather shifting into a late afternoon sea breeze of up to 15 knots.
If all goes to plan, the race committee is expected to run two races per day, giving them a 10-race series up until the end of 30 January followed by the exciting 10-boat medal race on 31 January to close out the series.