Mild winds on Monday at the Paris Olympics hindered the aspirations of two Irish solo dinghy competitors. Originally, two races were planned for both ILCA classes. However, neither of the men’s races came to fruition, and just one women’s race went forward. Eve McMahon came out strong in Race 9 of the women’s event, earning a respectable seventh-place finish.
With this result, she advanced to 13th place overall, boosting her chances of breaking into the top 10 in the final race and hence securing a spot in the medal-race finale. Unfortunately, the lingering light winds caused the organisers to call off Race 10, leading to McMahon’s withdrawal from the contest.
Only the bronze medal hasn’t been claimed yet, since gold and silver medals have already been allocated. The gold will be awarded to Marit Boumeester of the Netherlands, a four-time medallist, while McMahon’s friend and training mate, Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom, will receive the silver.
McMahon expressed her disappointment after the race, calling it the product of hard work. Despite not reaching the medal race, she is proud of having defeated the silver medallist from Tokyo and the current European champion. Despite losing by a point in a similar situation last year, she remains hopeful for the LA cycle.
Finn Lynch was also let down by the lack of wind, having hoped for Races 9 and 10 to boost him from 10th place overall. Although a podium finish was out of reach, a rank around sixth would have been a recuperation for him. Nevertheless, he can only hope to attain an eighth overall ranking in the medal final, due to persisting light winds.