Sailing ISAF World Championships: Mark Mansfield's mid-regatta prediction that fifth overall was still achievable came to pass in a light air climax in Cadiz yesterday when the Royal Cork sailor, with crew Killian Collins, secured the second of seven available nation places for the Athens Olympics.
In a consistent 11-race performance Mansfield overhauled Dublin pairing Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks, who slipped from seventh to 11th in the last three races of the series.
Now Ireland has qualified for Athens in the Star keelboat the decision on which of the two crews will be selected to sail in the Olympics becomes the subject of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing in October.
It follows Mansfield's earlier appeal to the international body over a dispute with the Irish Sailing Association's selection procedure that led to an Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) investigation.
The Royal St George pair finished 37th yesterday in light airs, normally their strongest sailing conditions.
Of the seven Olympic places awarded yesterday a surprising number of strong Star nations failed to qualify, including Germany (Marc Pickel), Canada (Ross McDonald), New Zealand (Gavin Brady) and Denmark (Stig Westergaard), who must now fight it out for the last three places at next year's world championships.
On the Finn course in Cadiz David Burrows's 36th and 29th placings in an 82-boat fleet left him 10th overall.
Although there was no confirmation last night because of protests it looked likely Gerbil Owens and Ross Killian would qualify for the gold fleet in the 470 dinghy and so secure the 10th nation qualification for Athens.
And in the 49er dinghy Tom Fitzpatrick and Frazer Brown are one nation outside of qualification with the final phase starting this morning.
In Howth, Eamon Crosbie's Voodoo Chile won the second race of class zero IRC in the Olympus Autumn League, leaving local boat Cracklin' Rosie (Roy Dickson) in her wake.
