Ireland’s Finn Lynch and Eve McMahon claimed Gold and Silver at the Sailing Grand Slam Final in the Netherlands on Sunday (September 21st).
Their podium finishes cap a standout season for Irish sailing, with seven international medals, including a World Championship Bronze and five Grand Slam podiums.
Lynch, from Carlow and sailing for the National Yacht Club, battled through the ILCA 7 fleet after a mid-fleet start. He reached the final alongside Italy’s Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini and Britain’s Michael Beckett.
“The final race was a strange one, with 50-degree wind shifts,” Lynch said. “I was last on the second lap, but I spotted a mark change others missed and slipped through for the win.”
In the ILCA 6 class, Howth’s Eve McMahon led for much of the week, winning four races. Poland’s Agata Barwinska overtook her on the final day, leaving McMahon with Silver.
“Eve sailed brilliantly all week,” said Vasilij Zbogar, Irish Sailing’s ILCA 6 coach. “The Polish sailor just managed to pull ahead, but a Silver medal is an excellent result.”
The Almere event was the first “pilot final” for the Grand Slam series, testing a new format across Olympic sailing classes.
Ireland’s Olympic sailing focus now shifts to October, when Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove will compete at the 49er World Championships in Sardinia.
