Ireland’s Eve McMahon remains in medal contention at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía, sitting third overall after Day Four in Palma.
The Howth Yacht Club sailor dropped from the overall lead but held her position inside the top three of the 143-boat women’s dinghy fleet.
Racing on Thursday, 2 April, was marked by light and unstable conditions. McMahon posted a second-place finish alongside two results in the low teens, leaving her level on points with Britain’s Daisy Collingridge in second.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with today’s sailing,” McMahon said. “The conditions were incredibly unstable, making this one of the toughest regattas I’ve competed in so far.”
“We only had one truly consistent race today, but I really enjoyed that one. With three races left tomorrow, it’s still all to play for.”
Youth sailor Sienna Wright continued to impress in Gold Fleet, recording a top finish of 10th in a highly competitive field.
Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert tops the standings.
Solo Charge — Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club races in the ILCA fleet at Palma, delivering a strong fourth-place finish to stay in contention heading into the final stages Photo: Andrew Conan
In the men’s dinghy, Ewan McMahon delivered a fourth-place finish but a later 20th leaves him 11th overall, just outside the top ten.
A new sailor for Dun Laoghaire's Royal St. George Yacht Club, Finley Dickinson, who was lying 18th, has dropped ten places to 27th.
In the ILCA 7 fleet, the double Olympic champion Matt Wearn (AUS) bookended a pair of wins with a 26th, which he discards, meaning he leads into Friday by 11 points ahead of Germany’s rising star, Under 21 World Champion Ole Schweckendiek.
Irish Sailing coach Ben Walkemeyer said, “Ewan delivered a solid performance overall today, particularly in the opening race.”
“In the second race, his downwind speed was excellent and played a key role in improving his position. He’s firmly in contention heading into the final day.”
Development sailor Fiachra McDonnell sits ninth in Silver Fleet after another consistent showing.
In the men’s skiff, Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove did not reach Gold Fleet and will now turn focus to preparations for May’s World Championships.
Development pairing Ben O'Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain continue to gain experience in Silver Fleet with consistent mid-fleet finishes.
In the women’s skiff, Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour recorded a best result of 11th in their debut senior season.
One time leader, Royal Irish's Saskia Tidey, sailing for Team GB with Freya Black, has dropped back to eighth overall.
Gold Fleet racing concludes on Friday, with the top ten advancing to Saturday’s final medal-deciding series.
