Ireland's Paris 2024 representative in the ILCA 6 class, Eve McMahon, is leading the 2024 Women's U21 European Championships after three races sailed in Spain.

The Howth Yacht Club ace is the top boat in the 65-boat fleet at the Reial Club Nautic Port de Pollensa in Mallorca, Spain.

The day commenced with a one-hour postponement on shore due to a lack of wind. Eventually, the first warning signal was sounded at noon, with steady winds ranging between 10-14 knots from a direction of 65 degrees.

Reigning ILCA 6 Women’s Under-21 World champion McMahon counts two race wins in her tally to be seven points clear of Spain's Marga Perello on 15 points. Poland's Lilly May Niezabitowska is one point behind Perello in third place.

Emma Mattivi from Italy (3-4) recently finished fifth overall at her first Senior Europeans in Athens and is here defending the U21 European title after winning the 2023 edition in Norway.

Italian sailor Maria Vitoria Arseni, recently crowned World champion at the 2024 ILCA 6 Youth Worlds in Argentina, is eighth.

Two more races are scheduled for Wednesday, with the first warning signal at 12:00. 

Nineteen-year-old Eve McMahon concluded the weather-hit ILCA 6 class European Championships in 15th place overall. 

Already qualified for Paris, the Howth Olympic debutante will compete at the forthcoming French Olympic Week in Hyeres as her final major competition before the Olympics.

She was coached this week in Athens by ILCA 6 Rio silver medalist Annalise Murphy, who said: "Eve is so young, still only 19 and sailed a great week to come 15th at a European championship is really great.”

Maria Erdi of Hungary celebrates her first-ever European ILCA 6 championship title in Athens Photo: Matias Capizzano

Maria Erdi of Hungary clinched her first-ever European championship title, adding to her accolades as the reigning World champion from the previous year in The Hague. This marks her second European medal, following her bronze achievement in Andora, Italy, in 2023. Securing victory in the Medal Race, she concluded the championship with 21 points after seven races.

Viktorija Andrulyte of Lithuania secured second place with 27 points, earning the Silver medal along with qualification for Paris 2024.

The Bronze medal went to French sailor Louise Cervera, who amassed 29 points.

Croatia’s Elena Vorobeva finished fourth overall, clinching the second Olympic spot at stake in this championship.

Top 10 ILCA 6 Women’s Senior Europeans:

1 – Maria Erdi HUN 21 pt
2 – Viktorija Andrulyte LTU 27 pt
3 – Louise Cervera FRA 29 pt
4 – Elena Vorobeva CRO 37 pt
5 – Nazli Cagla Donertas TUR 49 pt
5 – Emma Mattivi ITA 49 pt
7 – Pernelle Michon FRA 53 pt
7 – Agata Barwinska POL 53 pt
7 – Anne Marie Rindom DEN 53 pt
10 – Marie Barrue FRA 58 pt

Eve McMahon (Howth YC) improved her overall position in the Women's ILCA 6 European championships in Athens, Greece where she lies 14th overall going into the final day of racing.

McMahon – already selected for the Paris 2024 Olympics – will likely end up outside the top ten with one race on Friday but can still move up further in the rankings.

The championship has a new leader, and it’s none other than Maria Erdi from Hungary, the reigning 2023 World champion. Following six consistently strong performances, she now leads the fleet with 19 points, edging ahead of the overnight leader Viktorija Andrulyte from Lithuania, who sits at 21 points. Louise Cervera, the next French Olympic representative, holds third place with 25 points.

"It was a wonderful day. The first race was just amazing. I had a good start and good tactic, and then I did good stuff at the speed. I was really first from far away, so I was happy. On the second race the same, I finished fifth, so it was really cool. The last one I did a bit of a shitty start, so it was difficult for me but, it’s ok, I’m really happy about the day," Cervera told reporters.

Top 5 – Senior Europeans:

Maria Erdi HUN 19 pt
Viktorija Andrulyte LTU 21 pt
Louise Cervera FRA 25 pt
Elena Vorobeva CRO 29 pt
Anne Marie Rindom DEN 33 pt

After three races sailed, Paris 2024 qualified Eve McMahon of Ireland lies in 20th place at the ILCA 6 European Championships in Athens. 

In light and flukey conditions that have delayed the racing schedule, the Howth star scored a consistent seven and a 12 in the 110-boat fleet.

Fierce competition is unfolding among the front-runners, vying for both European titles. Viktorija Andrulyte LTU (1-4-2) and Elena Vorobeva CRO (1-2-30) currently share the lead in the rankings and are tied on three points. 

Maria Erdi HUN (3-5-3) stands third in the provisional podium with 6 points. Anne Marie Rindom (4-12-3) DEN and Louise Cervera FRA (12-3-4) follow closely with 7.

In the fight for the Olympic tickets and also among the Top 10 are Katrina Micallef MLT (30-4-4) and Ursula Balas CRO (9-10-1), with 8 and 10 points respectively.

More light winds are expected for Day 4 on Wednesday, organisers will again try for three races although once four have been completed the minimum standard for a championship event will have been reached.

Ireland's Paris 2024 qualified Eve McMahon opened her account at the ILCA 6 European Championships in Athens, Greece, today with a 21st place. 

With several top rivals absent, the Howth Yacht Club teen has an excellent opportunity to build on her already impressive season.

Lithuanian sailor Viktorija Andrulyte LTU was the winner today in the Blue fleet, while Elena Vorobeva CRO did the same in the yellow one. Both sailors are also in the fight for qualifying their nations to the Olympics so it’s a double prize for them.

German sailors Julia Buesselberg GER and Pia Kuhlman GER come next with 2 points, followed by the 2023 World champion Maria Erdi HUN and Evangelia Karageorgou GRE with 3. Evangelia is also in the fight to qualify Greece for Paris 2024.

2024 World champion and reigning Olympic champion Anne-Marie Rindom DEN (1x Gold medal at the Europeans) was seventh,  the 2023 World champion Maria Erdi HUN (Bronze medalist in last Europeans in Andora) was fifth and the twice Senior European champion Agata Barwinska POL, who clinched the title in 2021 and 2022 was ninth.

Several of the latest World and European Youth medalists are also competing in Athens, eager to make their mark among the Seniors. This talented group includes Ireland's McMahon, Chiara Benini ITA, Emma Mattivi ITA, Maria Vitoria Arseni ITA, Giorgia Della Valle ITA, Shai Kakon ISR, Marilena Makri CYP, Petra Marendic CRO and Ana Moncada ESP.

17 European nations have already secured qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games in ILCA 6. These nations include:

BEL, DEN, ESP, FIN, FRA, GBR, GER, HUN, IRL, ITA, NED, NOR, POL, POR*, SUI, SWE and TUR.

Fourteen European nations are yet to qualify for the Olympics, and their sailors will be competing in Athens for the two available tickets. These nations include:

BUL (1 sailor), CRO (6 sailors), CYP (2 sailors), CZE (3 sailors), EST (3 sailors), GRE (14 sailors), ISR (4 sailors), LAT (1 sailor), LTU (1 sailor), MLT (1 sailor), ROU (1 sailor), SRB (1 sailor), SLO (2 sailors) and UKR (3 sailors).

Racing is scheduled to continue daily from Monday to Friday - weather permitting - with the opening round comprising a qualification series of at least four races to decide Gold fleet.

The top ten finishers will compete for the medal race final on Friday to decide the podium.

Rising star of Irish sailing, Eve McMahon, is all set to compete in the ILCA 6 European Championships in Athens, starting this Sunday. With several top rivals absent, the Howth Yacht Club teen has an excellent opportunity to build on her already impressive season.

Many of her competitors, including Emma Plasschaert of Belgium, Charlotte Rose of the USA, Maud Jayet of Switzerland, and Marit Bouwmeester of The Netherlands, will not be present at the event along with many of the top 20 in the international fleet as the focus now shifts directly to July's Olympic Regatta.

This means that McMahon, who finished 20th at the Argentinian World Championships, can further cement her position in the Women's single-handed fleet for Paris 2024, for which she has already qualified. 

Annalise Murphy is back on the water in a coaching role at the ILCA 6 Europeans in Athens Photo: Afloat

However, the 140 boat competition (with 134 European boats) is still stiff, with Women's World Championship winner Anne-Marie Rindom and Maria Erdi of Hungary, who finished seventh at the Argentinan Worlds medal race in January, very much the favourites in a competition that has two Olympic Qualifier places up for grabs.

The Rio 2016 silver medallist, Ireland's Annalise Murphy, will also be present at the event, providing McMahon with expert coaching and support. It should all mean McMahon has the opportunity to finish in the top five or 10, giving her a welcome boost for Marseille.

The event will start on Sunday with a three-day qualification round, after which the Gold fleet split will be decided. The final round will commence on Wednesday, with the Medal Race for the top ten boats on Friday to determine the podium. McMahon will be looking to make her mark and add another feather to her cap.

Despite a gear failure setback in her first Gold Fleet race, Eve McMahon remains very much in the hunt for a Paris 2024 Olympic place in the final three races of the 2024 ILCA6 Women’s World Championship at Mar del Plata, Argentina, on Tuesday.

McMahon was scored as 'DNC', meaning she was officially recorded as 'did not come to the starting area' in the first of her two final races on Monday after her tiller-extension joint sheared right on the start line.

The fitting was replaced with a spare, but it meant missing the race.

The 52-point score – which may yet be discardable – and is in marked contrast to her earlier consistent results in the qualifying rounds of 19, 4, 19, 4 and 14.

The 19-year-old finished 18th in the second race and is currently in 20th place overall on 78 points in her 51-boat fleet, according to the official results (below).

Despite the DNC, McMahon remains in the hunt for one of seven Olympic nation qualification spots. Discounting those already qualified, here are the standings (as of Tuesday morning) for those crucial seven spots, with thanks to Howth Yacht Club for the working tally:

1. Finland: 67 points
2. Ireland: 78 points
3. Turkey: 104 points
4. Spain: 119 points
5. India: 122 points
6. Uruguay: 123 points
7. Romania: 126 points
8. Mexico: 129 points
9. Brazil: 137 points

Denmark's Rindom remains on top

The day’s first race unfolded with northwest winds at approximately 12 knots. For the second race, conditions changed as a southwest front entered, bringing an intensity of 18 knots that gradually decreased throughout the day.

In the gold fleet, Danish sailor Anne Marie Rindom remains firm at the top after securing a 7th place finish in the first race and winning the second. Norwegian sailor Line Flem Hoest rose to second place, trailing by only 12 points. Vasileia Karachaliou, representing Portugal, rose to third place, thanks to her consistent strategy throughout the day, achieving two fifth-place finishes.

According to official reports, the racing schedule has been adjusted at Mar del Plata to take advantage of the forecast, and organisers will aim for three races on Tuesday that will decide the championship - and with it, the next seven nation places for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women's single-handed dinghy event.

Results below and check out McMahon's recent interview with Howth Yacht Club here

Olympic hopeful Eve MacMahon won the prestigious International award at Howth Yacht Club's hosted annual Achievers awards ceremony, which was graciously accepted, on her behalf, by her dad, Jim McMahon, on Saturday night (January 6th).

Eve was unable to attend in person as she is currently racing in the 2024 ILCA 6 Women's World Championship in Mar del Plata, Argentina where she is hoping to secure Ireland’s place in the 2024 Olympics. HYC communications officer Cormac Farrelly had an opportunity to catch up with Eve before she headed to Argentina.

Eve McMahon: Sailing Towards New Horizons

In the interview, Eve McMahon, the under-21 world champion in the ILCA6 class, reflected on her extraordinary journey in 2022, a year marked by unprecedented success. She detailed her experience of winning the Youth Europeans, the Youth Worlds in The Hague, and finally, the ILCA 6 Youth World Championship in Texas, a feat she described as incredible and demanding.

McMahon emphasised the unseen hard work behind her achievements, including balancing her sailing career with academic commitments like the Leaving Cert.

Eve McMahon competing at the 2024 ILCA 6 Women's World Championship in Mar del Plata, Argentina this week Photo: Matias Capizano

Looking ahead, she spoke about transitioning from youth to senior divisions, a move she has been preparing for since she was 15, and her aspirations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

McMahon also recounted a nerve-wracking moment during the ILCA 6 Under 21 World Championship in Tangiers, Morocco, where she capably handled a capsizing incident, showcasing her resilience and skill under pressure.

The interview concluded with McMahon expressing her gratitude for the support from Howth Yacht Club and her pride in representing the club on international stages.

Watch the full interview with Eve McMahon here: 

Full Interview Transcript:

Cormac HYC: I'm here with Eve McMahon in Howth Yacht club. Eve is the under 21 world champion for the ILCA6 class. Eve, let me dial you back to 2022. It started, I think, with you winning the Youth Europeans, then it was the youth worlds in The Hague, and then finally you were crowned ILCA 6 youth world champion in Texas. As far as I know, no other sailor, male or female, managed to do “The Triple”, winning all three championships in the one season. Tell us a little bit about what that was like.

Eve McMahon: Yes, it was an incredible year. There was a lot of hard work put into it and I suppose with support, a lot of people don't see the behind the scenes work that it takes to be on the podium and to be winning gold medals. And they don't really see the highs and the lows. So I just had to put my absolute all into the events. And I obviously had my Leaving Cert to sit, which was just a week before, but I just went into the events knowing that I did the most preparation that I could do. And I really just had to let the work, the hard work, kind of speak for itself. And to come out with three gold medals, it was absolutely incredible and a moment that will kind of always stick with me and it'll always make me very proud. But sport moves on and I'm coming up now with hopefully some bigger and better goals that I'm trying to work towards.

Cormac HYC: 2022 was obviously an amazing year, but then this year you had to step up a class. So you went from youth division up to senior division. And I know the expectations are huge and it's not an easy transition. So tell us a little bit about that.
Eve McMahon: Yes, so I have actually been competing in the youth, the under 21 and the senior division since I was 15. I did my first senior event in Australia. I went out to Australia for three months for the senior world championships. So I was really just trying to get all the experience that I can get from all the Olympic girls. So that was a huge stepping stone for me. But to be able to transition in and to be winning and being tipped as a known entity is really amazing.

Eve McMahon in action on the final day of the World U21 ILCA 6 championship title in Tangiers, Morocco. The Howth ace sailed a consistent race by race championships to win by a large margin

Cormac HYC: Many of us were watching you back in Tangiers in Morocco, and my recollection is that there were eight days of grueling racing. You're there on the last day, the last race, everything is up for grabs. You're very well positioned to become the ILCA 6 Under 21 World Champion, and then you capsize! What was going through your mind when that happened?

Eve McMahon: Listen, we're doing twelve races in a series and every race, it really can't be perfect when we're dealing with Mother Nature. So that's why we do so many training hours, to deal with those situations that go wrong and the adrenaline just kicks in and you just really had to get the boat back up quick. And I knew, although I wasn't looking at the results, I had somewhat of a comfortable lead, but there definitely was still a bit of panic. But that's sport. Things go wrong. So I really just had to get the boat back up quickly and finish right.

Cormac HYC: You're obviously very good at handling pressure! OK - I have to ask you about the Olympics. So I think it's no secret that your ambition was to get the nomination for Ireland, ILCA 6, for Los Angeles, 2028. But what about Paris 2024? Is that now a possibility?

Eve McMahon: Paris for sure. Listen, it's one of my ultimate goals to qualify for Paris. And as much as winning gold medals at youth and Under 21 are huge achievements for myself, they're for sure stepping stones for qualifying for Paris. So I'm heading off to Argentina. That's where I'll be while this whole awards (HYC Achiever’s awards) is taking place, and I'll be racing to the best of my ability and I'm loving absolutely every minute of it. And I'm really proud to be representing Howth.

Cormac HYC: Super. Just wrapping up on last year, you were Irish Sailor of the year. You were nominated twice by RTE for Young Sportsperson Of The Year… and now, which we're very proud of, you are the winner of the Howth Yacht Club 2023 Achiever Award for international sailing. I mean all of us in the club here are so proud of all your achievements to date, and you're such an inspiration, especially for the younger sailors. Can I ask you what it means to you to have won the Achievers award?

Eve McMahon being greeted by her mother Vicky and her father Jim upon arriving to Dublin airport after capturing gold in the single-handed ILCA6 class at the 2022 ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in Houston, Texas. The gold medal win was McMahon’s third consecutive gold medal this year, having also picked up a gold medal at the World Sailing Youth World Championships in the Hague, and at the ILCA 6 Youth European Championships in Greece. Photo: Tom Maher/INPHO

Eve McMahon: It really is huge to me and I really want to thank Howth Club for their continued support. I go out into international regattas and I really am proud to be representing Howth Yacht Club. This is where I grew up to sail with my two brothers when I was five or six, and it's just a fantastic club to represent while I'm away and I really want to thank everybody for their support. And, yes, I'm absolutely delighted to win and I'm really, really looking forward to hopefully representing Howth Yacht Club at the highest level.
Cormac HYC: Well, fantastic. So very well deserved. And we'll all be rooting for you in Argentina. Eve, it was lovely to talk to you. Thank you very much.

Ireland's Eve McMahon has kept her dream of a place in July's Paris Olympic Regatta alive by making the Gold fleet cut at the  ILCA6 World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Just one race in light winds was possible on day three, and the 19-year-old Dublin sailor from Howth Yacht Club, did not get a front-row start in her 51-boat division.

However, the Irish Sailor of the Year' picked off places before finishing 14th in a light air race five to lie 21st overall.

With reports of thunderstorms again building over the city, safety officials advised against further racing and all boats were sent ashore.

The finals series that begins on Monday afternoon (Irish time) and three days of racing will decide the championship - and the next seven nation places for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women's single-handed dinghy event.

Eve McMahon, the 19-year-old sailor from Dublin's Howth Yacht Club, made a striking comeback at the ILCA6 world championships in Argentina on Saturday. After a weather-curtailed first day of racing, McMahon climbed from 37th to 20th place overall after delivering two fourth places and a 19th in the second day of racing.

The 102-boat fleet was split into two groups, and the Irish Sailor of the Year's performance in the next two races will be crucial in her bid to secure one of seven nation qualification places for Paris 2024.

Currently, there are barely ten points between McMahon's overnight position and the top ten.

Last year, McMahon won the Under 21 world championship, and this year her priority is to secure a place for the women's single-handed event at Paris 2024 Olympics.

After Saturday's three races, the top half of the fleet will sail as the Gold fleet, with the top ten boats overall competing in a short medal race final. The final day of the qualification round is scheduled for Sunday, and it promises to be an exciting day of racing to determine the seven nation qualification places for Paris 2024.

The new championship leader emerged as Danish sailor Anne Marie Rindom, who won two out of the three races today and secured sixth place in the fourth race. Rindom is the reigning Olympic champion and holds three ILCA 6 world titles.

In second place, with only two points behind Rindon, is the Swedish sailor Josefin Olsson, the Olympic runner-up at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The United States sailor Charlotte Rose, who won the silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, rounds out the top three finishers.