With an Olympic medal as his stated ambition, the National Yacht Club's ILCA 7 sailor Finn Lynch will hope to return to earlier form when he competes at French Olympic Week in Hyerés next week (24-29th April 2023).
Lynch finished best of the Irish in 13th (and tenth European) at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy, last month, but a left-hand wrist injury will not go away despite ongoing treatment, and it affected him again in Palma a fortnight ago when he finished 25th overall at the 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofia, Mallorca.
As regular Afloat readers will recall, the world number three complained of the problem as far back as last year at Hyeres 2022.
In Palma, Lynch's coach Vasilij Zbogar said, "Recovery from the Europeans two weeks ago wasn't managed well enough, so we need to adapt for the next time."
Eagle-eyed observers will note his bandaged arm at the Andoran prizegiving.
At Hyeres 2022, Lynch finished 13th overall, missing the all-important medal race, something he will want to feature in this year given the proximity of the World Sailing Championships in three months' time, where the first Olympic places are up for grabs.
Lynch's rival for Paris 2024, Ewan McMahon of Howth, is not competing as the Hyeres regatta is not part of his 2023 plan.