Irish Sailing Stirs Up Excitement as Team Breaks Olympic Records in Los Angeles

Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour are about to pursue their Olympic dream [BBC Sport] Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour are just a pair of 22 year-olds with Hollywood dreams. Their ambitions don't include the Oscars. Instead, they're fixed on the Olympics and trying to qualify for the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

"We're very much forward planners and, of course, the Olympics is always in the back of our minds," McIlwaine tells BBC Sport NI at one of their training sessions in Dun Laoghaire just outside of Dublin. "That's the big goal that we're always working towards, but I think we are able to kind of separate it, and just think about it on a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month sort of basis. " And the pair are a united front on that.

While reaching Los Angeles is the aim, there is a journey ahead. "We need to start performing this year because next year is the year that we try to qualify," added Barbour. "There's always a bit of thought about LA in the background, but I think we are quite good at keeping each other focused day-to-day and week-to-week.

" McIlwaine is from Kilkeel in County Down while Barbour comes from Whitehead in County Antrim and their partnership only came together in March 2024. They have known each other since their early teens, training and competing as part of the RYA Northern Ireland Sailing Academy. However, both sailed with different partners before finding themselves solo at the same time.