Maria Coleman from Baltimore has become the first sailor to reach the required standard for the Sydney 2000 Olympic squad and the Irish Sailing Association is expected to be making the formal nomination to the Olympic Council of Ireland shortly. The Europe class single-hander has achieved two world-class results since the start of the year - 12th overall at the worlds in January and 10 at the Hyeres Regatta in France last weekend.

Now the focus switches to the men's single-handed Finn class where the choice has narrowed down to David Burrows and John Driscoll, both veterans from the Atlanta Games in the Star and Finn classes respectively. A three-regatta selection series will see one eliminated before the end of June. Burrows scored a prestigious result at Hyeres when he was placed third overall in a fleet that counted all but one of the best Finn sailors in the world. Nicely sandwiched in between the last gold medallist, European and world champions plus the last silver medallist, Burrows' form has see-sawed since January when Driscoll was in the ascendancy.

Ironically, both have achieved the required Olympic nomination standard from their results to date leading to the requirement for the showdown. Former Finn sailor and current team manager Bill O'Hara said: "The only shame is that when we drop one of them, we'll be dropping one of the best sailors in the world." The SPA Olympic classes regatta in May plus Europeans and Kiel Week will determine the nomination.

In the other classes, Jon Lasenby has one further world class result to go and he will have secured the Laser class place in Sydney making for an all-single-handed team so far. Also building speed in their campaign is the 470 pair of Tom Fitzpatrick and David McHugh who O'Hara considers good enough to make the grade. The ISA also hope to have a second men's class in the running within the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, last weekend saw a fleet of 18 Laser 2 dinghies in action at Galway for the second of the class provincial championships. The 1998 National champions, Michael Ennis and Gavin Doig from the Royal North of Ireland YC, opened the series by taking the first gun but it was the consistency of five second places from Marcus Spillane and Adam McCarthy that saw the Western Championship title travel south to the Royal Cork YC.