With two more race wins on the second day of competition off the coast of Lanzarote, Irish sailors Robert Dixon and Sean Waddilove are closing in on an Olympic qualification spot in the 49’er class.
They now lie third overall in the competition and have qualified for the Gold Fleet which will continue racing today and tomorrow before determining a final medal race of ten boats on Friday.
The race for the final Olympic place was between six countries at the start of the week but that is now down to three.
Dickson and Waddilove have 81 points from the first three days. Belgium are 25 points behind and Italy a further nine back. The points in the Gold Fleet race are now double what they ere on the first two days but that is still a good strong position for the lads who are clearly sailing well.
The Dublin crew were heading for a top-three result in their second race of the day but were disqualified for being fractionally over the line at the start.
However, it was the opening race of the day that offered the biggest thrill for the Irish team as Dickson and Waddilove were chased around the course by team-mates Ryan Seaton and Séafra Guilfoyle who scored two second places plus a tenth in their best day of the series. The Bangor/Cork pairing moved from 17th to tenth overall and also qualified for the Gold fleet.
“Both Irish crews showed their capabilities on the water and in the results today with well deserved places in the Gold fleet,” commented James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Director.
“Two top three results for Ryan and Seafrá have got them into the top ten where they can build further towards Friday’s finale – this event will come down to the wire.”
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