Star and 49er still in Olympic qualifying position but margins tighten

A light and shifty day saw mixed fortunes for Irish crews in Perth. Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern in the 49er scored a 7th, 11th and 12th in their three races and now lie 15th overall. A further three days of racing will take place for the 49er class before the medal race on Sunday. The top 14 nations will earn their place at London 2012. Seaton and McGovern are currently the 8th nation.

ISA Performance Director, James O'Callaghan remarked "Ryan and Matt had another solid day, while not as spectacular as yesterday, their three scores keeps them very much on track for Olympic qualification".

In the Star, Peter O'Leary and David Burrows were over the line early in Race 4 and incur a disqualification for that race. It means they slip to 14th overall and are now in a real fight to secure Olympic qualification. The top 11 nations will qualify for the Olympics and the Irish pair are currently the 11th nation.

O'Callaghan went on to say "The margins are so tight at this level, the guys have good speed around the course and were in 2nd position when they were pulled from the race. While it is a setback it is by no means a situation from which they cannot recover".

James Espey in the Laser also had a black flag during his first race of the day and together with a 37th in his second race, now lies 100th overall.