Following a week of sailing at the Copa Brasil in Rio, Providence Team IRL sailors Annalise Murphy and James Espey lead in their respective Olympic trials.
Murphy's rival for the Irish Laser Radial Olympic berth, Aoife Hopkins, broke her mast and would have been unable to compete in the last race had it not been for the London 2012 Olympian's intervention.
Murphy generously lent the young Howth sailor her own spare mast and Hopkins went on to post her best race of the event finishing 15th.
She placed third in one of the ‘light’ races and finished 15th overall in an event which regularly saw temperatures of over 40 degrees and light winds. Hopkins was 28th overall.
The second trial event is the ISAF World Cup regatta in Miami at the end of January.
In the men’s trial, James Espey holds pole position by the tiniest of margins in what is very much still a three horse race.
Espey finished in 38th with Finn Lynch 39th. UCC scholarship student Fionn Lyden was close behind in 43rd.
For Lynch it was a significant achievement to get to the start line, as only five weeks ago he dislocated his shoulder and only managed to make it with intensive rehabilitation.
Espey, Ireland’s 2012 Olympic representative will be drawing on all his experience to try and widen the gap at the next trial event – the Princess Sofia regatta in late March, in Palma, Mallorca.
Both Skiff campaigns also raced in Rio, and while overall results were not spectacular, there were positives.
Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern were happy to bag a race win on the Olympic waters and Andrea Brewster and Saskia Tidey got to experience a Medal race final, a feat they will hope to repeat next summer.
