����ý

Carrickfergus man Ryan Seaton has missed out on a third Olympic appearance with the other Irish boat in the 49er class securing qualification.

Competing in the final qualifier in Lanzarote, Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove secured Ireland's Tokyo berth with the final medal race to spare.

Seaton and team-mate Seafra Guilfoyle finished 15th in Friday morning's race which ended their hopes.

They didn't progress to the medal race which is now effectively a dead rubber.

Going into Friday morning's final fleet race in the Lanzarote International Regatta, the Belgian crew remained a threat to Dickson and Waddilove but the Irish pair's sixth place means they cannot be caught for the Olympic spot despite the remaining points on offer.

The Irish boats were competing for the final spot with hopefuls from Estonia, Italy and Belgium.

"The whole team have all worked really hard preparing for the Tokyo Olympics and qualifying today is a really important step, and a milestone for Rob and Sean," said Irish Sailing's Performance Director James O'Callaghan.

"It's a bitter sweet feeling for Ryan and Seafra, as they had hoped to win the nomination but without these two boats working as a team Ireland would have had no chance securing the last available Olympic place.

"The result is proof positive of our sailing programme supported by Sport Ireland - today demonstrates what is possible when you invest and plan long-term."

Seaton's wife Jena, an Olympic medallist with Denmark in 2016, was due to give birth this week.

Seaton previously competed with Bangor man Matt McGovern at the 2012 Olympics in London, where the duo finished 14th in the 49er class before a 10th-place finish four years later in Rio.

McGovern is now an Irish coach and joined in Dickson and Sean Waddilove's celebrations on the water on Friday morning.