Irish sailors John Twomey, Austin O’Carroll and Ian Costello have qualified for the 2016 Paralympic Games, which takes place in Rio Di Janeiro next year.
The Providence Team Ireland sailors qualified following an 11th and 12th place finish on the penultimate day of the IFDS Paralympic World Sailing Championships in Melbourne, and qualified for next year's showpiece with a day to spare. The Sonar crew currently lie ninth overall at the championships, heading into the final day's racing.
Qualification also marks a particularly special moment in Irish Paralympic history as Kinsale Yacht Club's John Twomey (Helm) from Ballinhassig, Cork will now compete in a record 11th Games.
Skipper of the Irish Sonar Paralymic team, Twomey, said: "We have achieved what we came to Melbourne for which is qualification for Rio 2016. We still have a lot of hard work to do starting with the final race of this regatta tomorrow. We look forward to receiving coaching support from the Irish Sports Council and the ISA towards our bid to get on the podium in Rio."
Commenting on the team’s qualification, ISA Performance Director, James O’Callaghan said: “I’m delighted for the team, who have worked incredibly hard to get this far, and for John in particular; his achievement is one he, his family and the entire Irish sailing community can be incredibly proud of.
"This is a great result for John and his team. They have done it in style with a race to spare. It is fantastic that Ireland will now contest the Paralympic sailing event in Rio"
