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#Rowing: Britain won the first race of the Coupe de la Jeunesse 2018 at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. The junior women’s eight, the traditional starting event for the event, featured five boats. Spain and France took the minor medals, while Ireland took fourth. The Coupe continues until Sunday.

Coupe de la Jeunesse, National Rowing Centre, Day One

Junior Women’s Eight – Final: 1 Britain 7:04.9, 2 Spain 7:07.1, 3 France 7:07.7; 4 Ireland (A Tyther, R O’Donoghue, C O’Sullivan, J Duggan, J Harrington, E Murphy, E Carney, C Nic Dhonncha; cox: V Hanlon) 7:15.5.

Published in Rowing
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#Rowing: The Ireland women’s pair of Emily Hegarty and Tara Hanlon finished sixth in the semi-final at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships at Poznan, Poland. The race ran away from Ireland.  Chile and then the United States, who would win, battled it out ahead of them, with Greece finishing brilliantly to take the third qualification spot for the A Final. Ireland lagged in sixth throughout and will compete in the B Final.

 Hugh Sutton gave a gutsy performance in the C/D semi-final of the lightweight single sculls. He held third until the final 50 metres when he was passed by Marlon Colpaert of Belgium, who had just over half a second over him on the line. The Belgian take a C Final place and Sutton is set for the D Final.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Poznan, Poland

Men

Single Sculls – Quarter-Final (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Ireland (R Byrne) 7:20.26.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Quarter-Final (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 5 Ireland (H Sutton) 7:55.8. C/D Semi-Final Two: 4 Sutton 7:42.69.  

Women

Pair – Semi-Finals (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final) – Semi-Final One: 2 Britain (2 H Scott) 7:52.09. Semi-Final Two: 6 Ireland (E Hegarty, T Hanlon) 8:15.53.

Published in Rowing
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#Rowing: Ireland’s Ronan Byrne won his quarter final of the men’s single sculls at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland, taking a place in the A/B Semi-Finals. The UCC man was the clear leader right through, with Russia and Brazil slotting into the other qualification places for the last 12.

 Hugh Sutton finished fifth in his quarter-final of the lightweight single sculls. The top three – Austria, South Africa and Germany – were established early, and Sutton held fifth through the race.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Poznan, Poland

Men

Single Sculls – Quarter-Final (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Ireland (R Byrne) 7:20.26.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Quarter-Final (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 5 Ireland (H Sutton) 7:55.8.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s lightweight quadruple scull of Miles Taylor, Niall Beggan, Ryan Ballantine and Andrew Goff won their repechage and moved into the A Final at the World Under-23 Championships in Poznan, Poland.

 The Ireland crew would have gone through with first or second and they disputed the lead with Spain until half way. But Ireland hit that line first and went on to lead. Germany tried hard to push into the top two, but Spain rebuffed them, while Ireland had a one-length lead from Spain at the finish. Britain finished fourth.

 Hugh Sutton also came through in his repechage. The 19-year-old raced well to take second and qualify for the quarter-finals of the lightweight single sculls. Four from six qualified. Early on, Egypt’s Omar Amer, who had made a false start, fell to the back of the race and stayed there throughout, while Turkey’s Enes Yenipazarli shot into a lead he would never lose. Sutton stayed in second for most of the race, swapping it with American Zachary Heese, but then beating him in a sprint in the closing stages.

 The Ireland men’s and women’s lightweight double sculls had earlier made it directly through their heats.

World Under-23 Championships, Poznan, Poland (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Quadruple Sculls – Repechage (First Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Ireland (M Taylor, N Beggan, R Ballantine, A Goff) 6:01.47, 2 Spain 6:04.02.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (F McCarthy, J McCarthy) 6:35.94.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Repechage (Top Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to E Final): 2 Ireland (H Sutton) 7:21.51

Women

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Four (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (L Heaphy, M Cremen) 7:37.99.


 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Jake and Fintan McCarthy raced brilliantly to win their heat and qualify directly for the A/B Semi-Finals at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Poland this morning. There was just one direct qualification place on offer in this heat of the lightweight double sculls and Italy gave Ireland quite a race. The two crews were locked together as they approached the 1500-metre mark – but then the McCarthy twins went. They led by .18 of a second at 1500 metres and sprinted away from their rivals to win well.

 Lydia Heaphy and Margaret Cremen made a solid start to their campaign in the women’s lightweight double by taking the second and final qualification spot in their heat. They were fastest to the 500 metre mark, but Britain’s Susannah Duncan and Danielle Semple took over from there. They would build their lead to win by almost eight seconds. Cremen and Heaphy secured their spot, staying well clear of third-placed Poland.

World Under-23 Championships, Poznan, Poland (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (F McCarthy, J McCarthy) 6:35.94.

Women

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Four (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (L Heaphy, M Cremen) 7:37.99.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: David O’Malley and Shane Mulvaney produced an outstanding display to win their heat of the lightweight pair at the World Under-23 Championships at Poznan in Poland today. Germany led the race from the start, but the UCD men had grabbed a firm hold of it by 1,000 metres. They went on to win by 6.69 seconds from Chile, who pipped the Germans for second – a rank that mattered much less than the first place which put Ireland straight through to the final on Saturday.

 The Ireland lightweight quadruple had to settle for third in a heat where only the top crew qualified for the A Final. The Ireland crew of Miles Taylor, Niall Beggan, Ryan Ballantine and Andrew Goff looked very good and led early on. The United States moved decisively in the second quarter, when they took a slight lead. They took control in the third. They won well from France, who beat Ireland in a sprint to the line.  

 Hugh Sutton finished fifth in his heat of the lightweight single sculls and is set for a repechage.   

World Under-23 Championships, Poznan, Poland

Men

Lightweight Pair – Heat Two (Winner to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (S Mulvaney, D O’Malley) 6:50.92.

Lightweight Quadruple – Heat One (Winner to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 United States 6:00.18; 3 Ireland (M Taylor, N Beggan, R Ballantine, A Goff) 6:04.62.

Lightweight Single Sculls (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 5 Ireland (H Sutton) 7:24.38.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland won the senior men’s title at the Home International Regatta at the National Rowing Centre today.

The men’s senior eight sealed the deal with a terrific win over Scotland, their closest rivals in the race and on the points table. A win for Scotland would have given them the honours.

The Ireland senior women came very close to winning the overall prize. The women’s quadruple – in the same manner as the men’s - had won the previous race, and the senior women’s eight knew that a win in the eight would have tied the points with England, but secured the big prize by virtue of the win in this key race. However, England produced a fine performance to win.

In all, Ireland had 10 wins at the regatta: the men’s four and coxed four, the pair and the quadruple won, in addition to the eight. The women’s four and the pair won, as did single sculler Selma Bouanane – by under a third of a second from Fiona Bell of Queen’s, who was rowing for Scotland.

England were in charge in both the junior men’s and junior women’s events.

Home International Regatta, National Rowing Centre, Cork (Selected Results; Irish placings: All Irish results unless stated)

Overall

Men – Senior: Ireland 30 pts, Scotland 30, England 20, Wales 15. Ireland win on basis of eights’ win. Junior: England 26, Ireland 17, Scotland 14, Wales 13.

Women – Senior: England 27, Ireland 27, Wales 20, Scotland 18. England win on basis of eights’ win. Junior: England 26, Ireland 18, Scotland 16, Wales 6.

Men – Eight: 1 Sean O’Sullivan, C Hennessy, Stephen O’Sullivan, J Quinlan, P Munnelly, T Power, D Joyce, P Moreau; cox: C O’Connell 6:01.31, 2 Scotland 6:07.10, 3 England 6:07.71. Junior: 3 Ireland 6:15.55.

Four – 1 T Power, Sean O’Sullivan, Stephen O’Sullivan, C Hennessy 6:18.37. Jun: 3 M Campion, D Ryan, B Frohburg, S Daly 6:46.28.

Four, coxed: 1 P Munnelly, J Quinlan, C Murphy, N Herlihy; cox: C O’Connell 6:44.97. Jun: 3 J Kennedy, P Murphy, R Mills, M Stewart, C Wanjau 6:52.22.

Pair – 1 D Joyce, P Moreau 7:02.03

Lightweight: 3 M Farrell, C Flynn 7:21.01. Jun: 1 S O’Neill, W Ronayne 7:05.14.

Sculling, Quadruple: 1 D Larkin, A Christie, N Hull, K Mannix 6:12.48. Jun: 2 D Kelly, T Kelly, A Sheehan, L Flynn 6:24.19.

Double – 2 N Hull, A Christie 6:47.38.

Lwt: 2 C McCrae, C O’Connell. Jun: 3 T Orlic, S Byrne 7:03.41.

Single: 3 K Mannix 7:23.51.

Lightweight Single: 3 D Larkin 7:36.9.

Junior, Single: 3 L Sutton 7:47.798.

Women

Eight: 1 England 6:48.44, 2 Ireland 6:52.35, 3 Scotland 6:56.69. Junior: 2 Ireland 6:51.598.

Four: 1 D Maguire, C Dempsey, C Feerick, K Shirlow 6:58.83.

Jun: 3 Z McCutcheon, C Fee, N Silke, S Byrnes 7:21.29.

Four, coxed: 4 R Gilligan, R Ryan, A Corcoran, S Kelly; cox: A Reid 7:40.76. Jun: 3 A Brooks, C Kirwan, A Cummins, J Crowley, S Dolan 7:38.62.

Pair – 1 N Casey, A McCarthy 7:44.299. Lightweight: 4 E Brogan, K McCarthy 8:33.09. Junior: 2 R O’Donoghue, A Tyther 7:57.62.

Sculling, Quadruple; Senior: 1 S Bounane, G O’Brien, S Crummey, O Hayes 6:53.69. Jun: 2 N Kiely, S Tierney, K Dolan, S Scully 7:12.40.

Double – 2 G O’Brien, S Crummey 7:31.69. Lwt: 3 S Clavin, V Wallace 7:54.82. Jun: M Kidney, A Lynch 7:47.67.

Single: 1 S Bouanane 8:04.81. Lightweight Single: 2 O Hayes 8:24.7. Junior, Single: 2 C O’Brien 8:25.1

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The Ireland senior team for the 2018 Home International Regatta has been chosen. The event will be held at the National Rowing Centre next Saturday, July 21st. Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales will compete to win the Victor Ludorum –  ‘the winner of the games’ – in four categories: senior men, senior women, junior men and junior women.

 Irish crews had six wins at the 2017 regatta in Scotland and the junior men and junior women were both second overall. England won in all but one category, with Scotland beating them to the top of the senior women’s table.

 For some Irish athletes, the Home International has been the pinnacle of their rowing career; for others a first step on the road to World and Olympic Championships. Gary and Paul O Donovan began their journey to Olympic medal glory in this regatta.

Racing begins at 10:00am on Saturday, and runs until 4pm that afternoon.

Senior Men’s Sculling Team:

Keelan Mannix (Skibbereen RC)

Aaron Christie (Bann RC)

Nathan Hull (Queens University Belfast BC)

Dara Larkin (UCC RC)

Callum Macrae (Methodist College Belfast RC)

Coman O’Connell (UCD BC)

Senior Men’s Sweep Rowing Team:

Patrick Munnelly / James Quinlan (NUIG BC / Castleconnell RC)

Tomas Power / Sean O’Sullivan (Cork BC)

Stephen O’Sullivan / Colm Hennessy (Shandon BC)

Patrick Moreau / David Joyce (Commercial RC)

Niall Herlihy / Cameron Murphy (UCD BC)

Michael Farrell / Conor Flynn (NUIG BC)

Cormac O’Connell (UCC RC) Cox

Senior Women’s ScullingTeam:

Selma Bouanane (Fermoy RC)

Georgia O’Brien (UL RC)

Sarah Crummey (Belfast BC)

Orla Hayes (Skibbereen RC)

Sheila Clavin (St Michaels RC)

Vikki Wallace (QUBBC)

Senior Women’s Sweep Team:

Niamh Casey / Aine McCarthy (Skibbereen RC)

Claire Feerick / Katie Shirlow (Neptune RC / Bann RC)

Caoimhe Dempsey / Dineka Maguire (DULBC)

Rachel Ryan / Ruth Gilligan (Commercial RC)

Sarah Kelly / Aoife Corcoran (DULBC)

Aoife Reid (Commercial RC) Cox

Womens Lightweight Pair
Ella Brogan, Queens University Boat Club

Katie McCarthy, Cork Boat Club 

Junior Men’s Sculling Team:

Dara Kelly (Lee)

Thomas Kelly (Kenmare)

Andrew Sheehan (Lee)

Luke Flynn (Three Castles)

Tristan Orlic (Neptune)

Sean Byrne (Neptune)

Luke Sutton (New Ross)

Coach: Colm Butler (Neptune)

Junior Men’s Sweep Team:

Jack Kennedy (Enniskillen)

Peter Murphy (Enniskillen)

Robbie Mills (Enniskillen)

Michael Stewart (Enniskillen)

Cliff Wanjau (NUIG)

Michael Campion (Commercial)

Damien Ryan (Castleconnell)

Ben Frohburg (Castleconnell)

Sam Daly (Commercial)

Sam O’Neill (Shandon)

Will Ronayne (Shandon)

Junior Women’s Sculling Team

Marie Kidney (Lee)

Niamh Kiely (Castleconnell)

Clara O'Brien (Castleconnell)

Shona Tierney (New Ross)

Aoife Lynch (Lee)

Katie Dolan (Commercial)

Sadhbh Scully (Carlow)

Janet Walsh (New Ross)

Junior Women’s Sweep Team:

Aoife Brooks (Shandon)

Chris Kirwan (St. Michaels)

Rhianon O'Donoghue (Killorglin)

Anna Tyther (Killorglin)

Zoe McCutcheon (Enniskillen)

Caitlyn Fee (Enniskillen)

Aoife Cummins (Lee)

Jennifer Crowley (Lee)

Norma Silke (Castleconnell)

Saoirse Byrnes (Castleconnell)

Sarah Dolan (Enniskillen)

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Sanita Puspure took a silver medal for Ireland at the World Cup Regatta in Lucerne. The world champion, Jeannine Gmelin of Switzerland took gold, but only just, in a thrilling finish. Puspure was under pressure for second from Carling Zeeman of Canada, but the Ireland sculler has a great finish and pushed right up on Gmelin, finishing just .23 of a second behind her.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne, Day Three (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Men

Pair – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Spain Two 6:40.42; 3 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:43.27.

Lightweight Double Sculls – A Final: 1 Ireland (G O’Donovan, P O’Donovan) 6:28.50, 2 Belgium 6:29.30, 3 Denmark 6:32.39.

Women

Pair – B Final: 1 Spain 7:25.23; 4 Ireland (A Keogh, T Hanlon) 7:32.46.

Double – B Final: 1 Czech Republic 7:05.30; 3 Ireland (M Dukarska, A Crowley) 7:06.92.

Single – A Final: 1 Switzerland (J Gmelin) 7:35.94, Ireland (S Puspure) 7:36.17, 3 Canada (C Zeeman) 7:37.03

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul and Gary O’Donovan took gold at the World Cup Regatta in Lucerne this morning. Denmark and Belgium had good starts, but the Skibbereen men too over the lead after 800 metres. They held it from there, though Belgium pushed right up on them in the final quarter. The O’Donovans held them off to win by .8 of a second.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne, Day Three (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Men

Pair – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Spain Two 6:40.42; 3 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:43.27.

Lightweight Double Sculls – A Final: 1 Ireland (G O’Donovan, P O’Donovan) 6:28.50, 2 Belgium 6:29.30, 3 Denmark 6:32.39.

Women

Pair – B Final: 1 Spain 7:25.23; 4 Ireland (A Keogh, T Hanlon) 7:32.46.

Double – B Final: 1 Czech Republic 7:05.30; 3 Ireland (M Dukarska, A Crowley) 7:06.92.

Published in Rowing
Page 12 of 76

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020