Ewan McMahon had his best-ever Gold fleet performance at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Marstrand, Sweden, on Saturday, beating LA 2028 rival Finn Lynch in the process.

The Howth Yacht Club star had a personal best finish to the championships as ninth European overall.

A sunny sky and classic Marstrand conditions — with the wind building from 8 knots in the morning to 15 knots in the afternoon, and the swell rising from 0.5 to 1.5 metres — provided a fitting backdrop for the final battles on the water.

"I was very pleased with how I was sailing this week, and to finish it off with a solid final series was really nice," said McMahon. "It's definitely a benchmark but myself and the squad have bigger aspirations for this (Olympic) quad."

"A personal best for Ewan is the highlight for sure and a best-ever Gold fleet series to be proud of," said Ben Walkemeyer, Irish Sailing coach. "It’s a tougher one for Finn who got unlucky with some (wind) shifts."

There was disappointment for Rio and Paris Olympian Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) whose regular top ten form and consistency didn't materialise in Marstrand. Falling victim to some unlucky windshifts, a third place in the opening race of the qualification round on Monday was the best of the week.

Lynch is determined to put the event behind him while taking the learnings from both bad and good events and get ready for the next competition.

I'm disappointed, it wasn't my best week. I tried my best, but it wasn't clicking," said Lynch after the series ended. "(The venue) was really difficult. Each day, the wind was really unpredictable, but in the end, the guys who were just starting well and going fast did well."

This event ends the competitive 2025 season for the one-person dinghy sailors, but all three Irish ILCA Olympic sailors have been invited to compete in the Sailing Grand Slam final in the Netherlands next month, which is restricted to only the top ten athletes in each discipline.

Results here