Finn Lynch wins Bronze at the Princess Sofia Olympic Classes Regatta

Finn Lynch has marked the start of his Olympic campaign with a Bronze medal in Mallorca. Following a short but tense medal race final on the Bay of Palma this morning (Saturday 5th April) Ireland's Lynch (National Yacht Club) secured third place in an event that sets a promising tone for his journey towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The Carlow sailor qualified for the medal race final following a ten-race series in which he recorded a race win and two second places. These results propelled him into second overall and ensured he was one of only three sailors in the top ten capable of taking a medal.

Britain's Michael Beckett had already secured Gold on Friday evening, adding to his country's haul of five event wins in Palma this week.

Lynch faced a dynamic mathematical task to ensure his place on the podium but in the end, it was Britain's Elliot Hanson who won the medal race and ousted Lynch into third overall.

"It's a great start to the Olympic cycle, I'm happy out," Lynch said ahead of the prize-giving beside Palma's famous cathedral. "I had a good buffer going into the medal race and just needed to watch the Italian but unfortunately the British sailor got ahead and won so took the Silver but I'm happy with Bronze."

Irish Sailing's Technical Director Rory Fitzpatrick welcomed Lynch's result and its positive effect on all the sailors in the performance programme.

"This is a hugely significant achievement for Irish Sailing by Finn and it shows what Irish sailors can do," said Fitzpatrick. "We have the Youth Nationals coming up in a couple of weeks’ time in Dun Laoghaire and it sets a great example for the guys there."

Lynch paid tribute to new coach Ben Walkemeyer for bringing a fresh approach to his training, particularly around his starting technique.

The senior ILCA 7 squad also includes Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) who will provide serious competition for Lynch in the coming cycle for the spot at the LA2028 games. Also coached by Walkemeyer, he had his own highlights during the week, winning the final race of the series and only narrowly missing a place in the medal race final.

Note This event is part of the Sailing Grand Slam 2025, along with the Semaine Olympique Française, the Dutch Water Week, the Kieler Woche and the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta.

The Sailing Grand Slam (SGS) circuit brings together five world-class events across the sailing season, developed in close collaboration with World Sailing it creates a global platform to showcase the world’s top sailors in the build-up to the LA 2028 Olympic Games.