SAILING: Olympic qualification opportunity for McMahon at Sailing World Championship’s in Argentina

Ireland's Eve McMahon goes into action in the first major Olympic class world championship of 2024 in Argentina tomorrow (Mar del Plata, Argentina - Friday 5th January 2024) as she hunts a nation qualification place for Paris 2024.

Barely one year into her senior level career, the 19-year old Howth sailor is hoping to secure one of seven places for the women's single-handed event for next Summer sailed in her ILCA6 class.

In Autumn last year, she won the U21 world title in her class in Tangiers, Morocco in a follow-up to her 2022 season when she topped out her youth career with a hat-trick of Gold medals at international championship events.

Over the coming week, she will be one of 105 sailors from 47 nations contesting the six-day series that starts on Friday with the qualification round to decide the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleet splits for the final round before a medal race final for the top ten finishers.

For McMahon, her primary focus will be securing a place for Ireland at the Olympic Sailing regatta in Marseilles next July.

Already, 11 nations have won places with another seven to be decided in Argentina over the coming week.  Further opportunities to qualify Ireland remain at the European championships and also finally at the French Olympic Week in Hyeres in late April.

As the sole senior level campaigner in the ILCA6 class, McMahon won't face a trials series unlike the other two disciplines already qualified for Ireland that will see the ILCA7 and 49er skiff decide Irish Sailing's nominees to the Olympic Federation of Ireland for the national team.

"Eve is on a clear upward trajectory even at this early stage of her senior level career," commented James O'Callaghan, Irish Sailing Performance Director.  "Olympic qualification is clearly on her radar and key to this will be executing her plan, race by race."

The ILCA6 world championship at the start of January will be followed later in the month by the men's world championship in the ILCA7 class where Rio 2016 veteran Finn Lynch will lead Irish ambitions of a strong result in the waters of Adelaide, South Australia.