Eve McMahon, the 19-year-old Dublin sailor, has secured a nation place for Ireland in the women’s single-handed event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Regatta.
McMahon's result came with a race to spare at the ILCA6 World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina and after some drama on the penultimate day when she suffered a broken tiller extension and could not compete in one race.
The Irish Sailor of the Year qualified in second place of the seven-nation spots being decided at the competition, with official confirmation expected after the event concludes on Wednesday evening.
It is McMahon's second attempt at qualification, having missed at the first opportunity in The Hague last summer.
The Argentinian event is following a new format in that the top ten boats will sail their medal race as normal but the remainder of the Gold fleet will also race in their own fleet for higher points. This leaves McMahon mathematically unbeatable for Olympic qualification.
McMahon's qualification follows her Under 21 world championship title win in the ILCA6 class in October, which marked her debut year at senior level. In 2022, at the conclusion of her youth career, the Howth sailor delivered three Gold medals at a series of world championship events in the same class that Annalise Murphy, one of her coaches, won Silver at the Rio Games.
Ireland has now qualified three boats for this summer's Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Rio 2016 veteran Finn Lynch secured nation qualification for the men's single-handed event in August 2023 and Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove qualifying Ireland for the men's 49er skiff event in November.
As the sole Irish contender in her class at senior level, McMahon's name will go to the Olympic Federation of Ireland for inclusion in the Olympic team for Paris 2024.
Both of the other boats will face a trial series to decide on nominations to the OFI at a series of regattas this spring.