Irish Sailor of the Year Eve McMahon goes into action for the second time in 2023 when she races at the – unusually early – 2023 ILCA Senior European Championships in Andora, Italy.
The Howth world and European ILCA 6 youth champion is joined on the Iberian Peninsula by Olympic sailing teammate, 2021 world silver medallist Finn Lynch (National YC) in the men's ILCA 7.
Both were among four Irish sailors to be awarded funding under the Sports Council funding earlier this month.
Last summer, Lynch was placed second in the world in the World Sailing rankings, thanks to a consistent string of results that included a silver medal at the ILCA7 World Championship in Barcelona in November 2021 and his sixth place at the 2022 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship in Mexico in May 2022.
Lynch, however, suffered a blip at the back end of 2022 when he posted 25th overall at the 2022 Europeans in France. He suffered in the lighter winds at the crucial later stage in the competition, meaning the hoped-for top-ten finish on the Bay of Hyères was out of reach for the 2021 World silver medalist.
Lynch appears in good form this season, posting a second overall in a 50-boat fleet at the second round of the Portugal Grand Prix in Vilamoura a month ago.
Andora will be Eve McMahon’s third senior-level European championship but her first not competing as a Youth. She had an incredibly successful summer in 2022, winning a hat-trick of gold medals at the ILCA 6 Youth European Championships in Greece, the World Sailing Youth World Championships in the Netherlands, the ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in Texas, and finishing with silver at the U21 ILCA Youth World Championships in Portugal in August. The stand-out performance earned her a second Irish Sailor of the Year title.
Like Lynch, McMahon had her first races in 2023 Vilamoura in February, an event won by Olympic Gold medalist Marit Boumeester. The Irish ace posted 15th, counting a black flag disqualification in her scoresheet in a 79-boat fleet.
Also competing in Andora is McMahon's older brother Ewan who is Lynch's main competition for the single ILCA 7 berth in Paris 2024, and youths Rocco Wright and Fiachra McDonnell in the men's ILCA 6.
In the men’s ILCA 7 fleet, there are 195 sailors representing 42 countries, including the reigning Senior European champion Pavlos Kontydes, the reigning World champion Jean Baptiste Bernaz (France) and the reigning Olympic Gold medallist Matthew Wearn (Australia).
The ILCA 6 women’s fleet sees 117 sailors representing 40 countries, including the reigning Senior European champion Agata Barwinska of Poland, and the reigning World champion and Olympic Gold medallist Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark.
The Irish sailors benefit from coach Vasilij Zbogar, a three-time Olympic medallist from Slovenia and Sport Ireland backroom support.
Racing begins on Sunday, 12th March and concludes with the medal races on Friday, 17th.