Yachting Athens selection contest: The top-10 result secured by Mark Mansfield and Killian Collins at the Star keelboat European championships this week not only put Royal St George opponents Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks to the sword but stamped "QED" over what was the second of three Olympic trials in a demonstration to selectors that the Royal Cork crew is the choice for Athens.
The result provided further confirmation - though it was barely needed - that sailing's medal prospects for Athens in four months' time look remarkably like those in Sydney four years ago.
Although it is still possible for Royal Cork's top sailor to lose out in the last leg of the three-way trial he is now some 150 points ahead, after doubling his lead this week.
The Dublin greenhorns would need to match their best world championship result of 11th, achieved in September in Cadiz, and Mansfield and Collins not to compete at all in the Italian world's later this month in Gaetta in order to win the eagerly-awaited contest of the season, which had been dubbed "Star Wars", and which has turned out to be a bit of a no-contest.
Mansfield's eighth overall this week, with a quality turnout bar the Bermudian Bromby and the Americans, who were involved in their own trials, was not without its share of trouble for the Cork pair, however.
In Wednesday's final race a heavy air gybe on the first run in third place led to a bent mast which saw them dropping at one stage to 15th place.
Heavy expectations at home rarely sit well on Irish teams and this week's 22nd place overall in a fleet of 67 boats has turned out to be a bitter sweet conclusion - against some overpowering hype - for Treacy and Shanks.
Having climbed so high up the vertical learning curve in such a short space of time few will not credit the breakthrough made in two years to force a trial against the triple Olympian.
Though they may not get their place in the Olympic sunshine on this occasion they remain committed as ever to the Star campaign - in spite what some press reports might have claimed yesterday - and will be on the Gaetta start line on April 21st.
