Providence Team Ireland's Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern took the gold medal in the 49er skiff event at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Mallorca after a dramatic late twist.
The veteran Olympians had initially completed the 15-race series on Friday night with a commanding lead that they believed had made certain of gold.
However in a late evening twist, London 2012 Olympic gold medallists Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen had an earlier race disqualification reinstated that changed the score. While an Irish podium result was assured, gold required placing eighth or better in Saturday's medal race decider.
Seaton and McGovern started cleanly and led the fleet to the first mark but touched it slightly which obliged them to take a penalty turn. Their lead slipped and suddenly they were ninth out of 10 boats.
But the Irish pair worked their way steadily up the fleet to finish sixth, one place behind Outteridge and Jensen and sufficient to claim gold. However, wary of the previous evening’s experience, it wasn’t until after their coach verified the result that the celebrations could begin.
Seaton and McGovern's previous best results include silver at the French Olympic classes regatta and gold at the Weymouth pre-Olympic event in 2011. They placed 14th at the London 2012 Olympics, their debut appearance.
“This is a super result for Ryan and Matt, not least because it’s an Olympic year but also for the quality of the competition in Palma,” commented James O’Callaghan, ISA Performance Director.
“Winning a gold medal four months before the Olympic regatta in Rio is a major boost to their chances even with a lot of hard work and competition still to go.”
The Irish crew are training partners with Australians Outteridge and Jensen who took the silver medal in Palma while Spain’s Diego Botin and Iago Lopez took bronze in the closely contested final.
