Lynch will have plenty of backing in France
WHEN Finn Lynch pulls his ILCA 7 Dinghy onto the water in Marseilles on Thursday August 1st, he will carry not just Irish hopes of a medal but also those of a large family unit who is following him from Paris down to the South of France.
The excitement will begin on Thursday when his mother, Gráinne, flies out to the French capital for what is a unique occasion. Instead of hosting it in a stadium the Opening Ceremony will take place on the River Seine. Over 160s boats will ferry the participants down the river where they will be greeted by huge crowds who will surely be jostling for the best vantage points on the banks of the famous river.
After that the family will travel to Marseilles to cheer on the Irish sailing team.
“Everybody is going,” says Grainne “From Carlow me and my son Rory and his wife, Caroline. My beautiful little grand-daughter (Rudy).” Ben Lynch is coming from America while his father, Aidan, and his wife, Nadine, will be joining them from their Cork base.
Finn’s girlfriend, Eline and her parents, Kare and Hilde, will be arriving in Paris to be with Gráinne to cheer on the Carlow sailor.
“There is a big contingent,” says a happy but apprehensive Gráinne.
From the 1st to the 5th of August Finn will be racing twice a day. There are strong hopes that he can get into the medal race on the sixth day where the top ten qualifiers will compete for gold, silver and bronze.
The competitors will be insulated from anything that is going on outside their competitive circle.
Gráinne says she is definitely getting nervous for her son. That wasn’t the case in Brazil four years ago.
“In Rio, I think Finn was so young when he qualified and had only moved into the boat. There were no expectations. No matter what he did was great. The achievement was that he was there. This time, in fairness, it does feel a little different,” she explains.
“Now he is up there. In February he won a bronze European medal and in January he came ninth in the world. He is there or thereabouts,” she says.
With the time coming so close now, Gráinne thinks about it more than ever.
“Up until the last week, I kept it out of my mind. Looking forward to having a holiday but kept it out about what the holiday was about. Now people are sending good luck messages. All of that makes me see how wise it is not to be on social media. I am starting to get a nervousness in my tummy.” The sailor’s mother is certainly getting involved in the moment and no amount of self-reasoning will quench what she is feeling. It is typical parent syndrome. Almost unavoidable. No matter what the sport is.
“It is like every parent when their child is doing something which means so much to them. You just want them to be ok and be happy with how it works out.
“I know it is the Olympics but it is the same as if your child is playing a football match. You want them to be ok.”
