Sailing:The Irish 49er skiff crew of Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern have qualified for the London 2012 Olympics after finishing the day in 10th place overall at the ISAF World Championships off Fremantle today.
The pair placed fifth in the both races this morning to move up from 15th and cement their place in the ‘gold fleet’. It consists of the top 25 boats from 14 nations, meaning it is now impossible for the pair to finish outside the benchmark for qualification.
“It’s a brilliant result for the guys, to be in sixth nation position and to have secured Olympic qualification at this stage is something special,” said ISA Performance Director James O’Callaghan today.
The pair will now continue racing through to Saturday, after which the top 10 teams will contest the medal race on Sunday.
In the Star class, Peter O’Leary and David Burrows slipped one place to 15th after a 16th and a 24th from the fleet of 41, but having maintained their position as 11th nation they are still in the qualifying positions.
The top 11 qualify for London after their final day of fleet racing on Friday.
“The Star pair are in control of their own destiny but this is one that will go right down to the wire,” said O’Callaghan.
James Espey in the Laser moved to 63rd from 100th after his best day to date saw him finish with a 3rd and a 20th from the fleet of 147.
The 49er and Laser fleets will be racing tomorrow but the Star will be on a rest day.