Aliyah Rafferty chosen as flagbearer for Irish Youth OIympics team

*Cyclist Aliyah Rafferty and discus thrower Cian Crampton have been chosen as flag bearers for the Irish team at the European Youth Olympic Festival* *(Photo: Brendan Moran-Sportsfile)*

Aliyah Rafferty, the only Irish cyclist to be selected twice onto the national team for the European Youth Olympic Festival, has been chosen as flagbearer for the national squad, along with discus thrower Cian Crampton.

They have been selected to carry the flag at the opening ceremony at the festival, which takes place on Monday. Rafferty (15), from the Island Wheelers club in Co Tyrone, appears to have shaken off the impact of a racing crash last week and is on course to go into battle in Maribor, Slovenia, in both the road race and TT.

“I was really happy to hear I had been selected. It’s going to be special walking into the Opening Ceremony, I can’t wait,” said Rafferty of being picked as flagbearer. She is due to travel with the multi sport national team to Maribor tomorrow, Saturday.

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Rafferty has excelled on home roads of late, winning the climbers' and junior classification at the Newry Three Day, where she also claimed a stage win. She was given special permission, as an U16, to ride against the elites in preparation for the festival.

Her brother, Darren, last weekend won Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta-Mont Blanc (2.2U) and has signed a two-year deal with World Tour team EF Education-EasyPost. A third Rafferty sibling, Adam, is the Irish junior TT champion. He will compete for Ireland in the junior TT at the World Road Championships in Glasgow next month, when Darren will be part of the line-up in the U23 TT and road race.

Six cyclists will represent Ireland in cycling events, including the female and male road race, time trial and mountain bike races at the European Youth Olympic Festival. The six riders are: Rafferty, Conor Murphy, David Gaffney, Greta Lawless, Kate Murphy and Phillip O’Connor.