Lynch left with some regrets but overall, Paris Olympics were an amazing experience

Gutted not to win a medal but an amazing experience.

These were the thoughts of Finn Lynch as the Carlow sailor looked back on the 2024 Olympics. Having competed in Rio 2016 it was the second time for him to make the Games. Part of his first Olympics was gaining experience but this time he was chasing a medal. Events conspired to go against him and he had to settle for tenth place overall in the Mens Dinghy ILCA 7 class at Marseilles.

“I was disappointed. Tenth was kind of the worst result I could be happy with, if that makes sense,” he explained.

Three of the qualifying races were abandoned because of the weather and even the medal race itself had to be called off with Lynch at the head of the field. When it was restarted, he couldn’t repeat what he had done in the abandoned race. He battled to the end but it didn’t happen for him.

“After Day 2 I was 25th and I started to get my act together and moved up to tenth.

“We didn’t race on the last normal day and we missed two races which ruined my chances to be in with a shot. I was about 20 points off going into the medal race. That can be easily made up in a 45-boat fleet but we didn’t get those last two races,” explained Finn.

Ultimately, Australia’s Matt Wearn took the gold with Pavlos Kondides of Cyprus winning silver and Peru’s Stefano Peschiera in the bronze medal position.

The Carlow sportsman was left to concentrate on the positives off the water.

“Definitely, it was an amazing experience. Seeing the impact the Olympics has on people at home and family members, it is different to any other competition we do,” he said.

Finn was delighted to meet competitors from other sports.

“It is easy to forget when I am off training abroad that in all different sports in Ireland that they do the same thing,” he conceded.

“I was talking to another runner and he had his training group in Australia. The swimmers go off to America to get the training groups. The divers are in the UK. The cyclists have to go abroad as well. It was cool to see everyone on the Olympic team that we have that in common.” 

 The Carlow sailor attended both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. With the Opening Ceremony taking place on the Seine River, Lynch contended it was more relaxing for the Olympians.

“It was really cool. It started lashing rain during it but we were prepared for it,” he recalled.

“It wasn’t actually that tiring. A lot of people don’t do it because they don’t want this huge high before you get into race mode. I think the fact that we were on a boat and didn’t need to parade around the place made sure a lot of people do it.” 

He was also able to get back to Paris for the closing ceremony where he stayed in the Olympic village with the other Irish contestants for the last two days. Team Ireland House, an Irish Bar called O’Sullivan’s, in La Pigalle assumed iconic status for all the Irish Olympic team and their mentors. It was here, Finn made many new friends.

“Good, bad or indifferent, there is a bit of relief when it is all over and you want to relax and enjoy,” said the Carlow sailor, who listed off some of the positives of the experience.

“A few of my friends from other countries won medals in sailing so that is just amazing to see them achieve their dreams.

“I know some of the Irish medallists now but I didn’t know them at the time. I still loved watching all the other Irish people compete. I understand what they are going through. The highs and lows of performance sport. I was glued to the TV during the whole games,” he said.

He was also thrilled that his participation gave the sport of sailing some exposure back in Ireland. His heart went out to Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove who missed out on a medal in the men’s skiff after problems at the start.

“For me to make the medal race gave us a little bit more exposure. I was really happy to make the medal race. I went into a little bit of a bubble before the games and I wasn’t really aware how much support there was. For me, I wanted the medal. Between fourth and fifteenth, it didn’t really make too much of a difference in my mind. In the end to make the medal race it was cool to give supporters something to watch and something to enjoy.” He was also told that the Carlow County Council had put up a banner wishing him well just before the games began.

“For young people to see that someone was going to the games who was from Carlow I really like that,” acknowledged Carlow’s dual Olympian.