Independent Olympic Finn dinghy single-hander Fionn Lyden of Baltimore Sailing Club (who is campaigning without grant support from Irish Sailing for his endeavours) has reached Gold fleet standard at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma.
The West cork sailor who transitioned from the Laser found almost immediate success in the heavyweight dinghy class when he won bronze in 2017 in the U23 Gold Cup lies 39th in his class.
Donaghadee Sailing Club's Oisín McClelland also campaigning independently missed the cut and is sailing in the Silver fleet.
Lyden's progress in the Finn has been rapid, and his 2017 U23 Finn Worlds on Lake Balaton in Hungary saw him taking the Bronze Medal in a style which impressed the most seasoned observers of this special and demanding class. Ireland has an emerging talent who is attracting remarkable levels of international interest.