Ad Astra Academy sailing ace Eve McMahon wins second world title
Posted 8 July, 2024
Irish Sailor of the Year and soon to be Olympian Eve McMahon is now a two-time world champion.
The UCD Ad Astra Academy sailing ace has again won the ILCA6 U21 World Champion, defending her title in Viana Do Costello, Portugal.
The Howth sailor and BComm student, recently named UCD’s ‘Sportspersons of the Year’, took the women’s title ahead of Evie Saunders, Australia, and Rooss Wind, Netherlands.
Following a week of racing McMahon quickly emerged as the tournament favourite, maintaining low scores throughout and finishing first place in five of her races.
She wrapped up the championships on 33 points, and finished her final race 30 points below her closest competitors. In sailing, the boat with the fewest points wins.
TWO TIME WORLD CHAMPION, EVE MCMAHON
— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) (opens in a new window)July 8, 2024
With a race to spare, once again Eve will be crowned the U21 ILCA 6 World Champion!!
Congratulations Eve(opens in a new window)#teamireland (opens in a new window)#worldchampion (opens in a new window)#roadtoparis (opens in a new window)pic.twitter.com/4GSwTUcMOV
(opens in a new window)Speaking to Afloat.ie, her coach, Rory Fitzpatrick, praised her outstanding performance and said it was a significance victory as she gears up for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, beginning at the end of July.
This second world championship follows on from McMahon's previous triumph at the U21 World Championships in Tangier, Morocco eight months ago.
After six days of challenging races, she emerged as the victor after 11 races. On the event's final day, a capsize threatened her championship finish but the talented sailor was able to recover and claim her first gold medal of 2023.
McMahon is due to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games in Marseille on August 1st, competing again in the ILCA 6 class.
She will be one of the almost 30 UCD sports stars, including nearly 20 UCD Ad Astra alumni and current students, representing Ireland at the 2024 Summer Games.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
