Ireland's Eve McMahon secures historic bronze medal at World Championships in China
In a historic first for Irish sailing, Howth Yacht Club's Eve McMahon won a bronze medal at the ILCA World Championships during the final day of action in Qingdao, China.
McMahon finished third behind France's Louise Cervera, with Poland's Agata Barwinska in second. It is the first time an Irish female sailor has medalled at senior World Championships and a huge achievement for the 22-year-old who already has two back-to-back Under-21 World Championships to her name.
The result marks a big step up step-change for the Irish sailor who competed in her first Olympics last summer in Paris after just two years at senior level.
In the six races sailed in China, McMahon recorded results within the top six places in the 99-boat event, while also avoiding any penalties.
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'We were struggling in the last few events but we've worked really hard to fix that before coming to China,' commented Irish Sailing coach Vasilij Zbogar. 'We spent time in Lymington training in [tidal] current with the British team and that really helped us fight for a medal – and get a medal.'
'It was a really difficult day with very strong winds but Eve made three solid races,' said Zbogar, who won silver for Slovenia at this venue in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 'She is sailing really well and we're looking forward to the days and months of competition ahead.'
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