Gold Fleet Achievement for Dickson and Waddilove at Sailing World Championships
Tokyo 2020 Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove secured a coveted spot in the Gold fleet finals at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Hague (The Netherlands).
Impressively, the Dublin crew, along with another Irish 49er skiff team, initially held race wins and high positions.
Unexpected Setback and very little luck
Unfortunately, both boats encountered an unexpected calm area on an otherwise windy day, slipping back in the fleet. Dickson and Waddilove finished the nine-race round in sixth overall, while the other Irish team, Guilfoyle and Durcan, placed 14th, missing the Gold fleet due to an early starting disqualification.
Comment from Irish Sailing
James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Director, expressed satisfaction with the Gold fleet achievement, acknowledging the boat handling errors that affected the other team’s performance.
Focus on Next Round
A rest day is scheduled for the 49er skiffs on Monday, with the final round starting on Tuesday, leading to the medal race for the top ten boats on Friday. With limited qualification spots for Paris 2024, securing a place on Friday is crucial.
ILCA Classes Qualification
The ILCA classes started their qualification round with six races, where Rio 2016 Olympian Finn Lynch and Ewan McMahon made notable efforts.
Finn Lynch’s Performance
Finn Lynch had a solid day with a 12th and a fourth place, securing an overall eighth position.
Ewan McMahon’s Recovery
Ewan McMahon, despite a challenging start with a 40th place, managed to recover and finished in the 17th position.
Eve McMahon’s Efforts
Eve McMahon performed well with an eleventh-place finish in her ILCA6 opening race, but faced a setback with a Black Flag disqualification in the second race.
