Boylan says injury was not “justification for non-selection” onto Olympic team

Lydia Boylan world champs silver — *Lydia Boylan on the podium at the Worlds in 2019 when she won silver in the points race in Poland*

A medal winner at the elite Worlds and Europeans, Lydia Boylan has expressed her disappointment at missing out on Olympic selection. But she said she was very proud about the role she had played in qualifying Ireland for the Games.

While Boylan and Lydia Gurley were the regular madison pairing for Ireland in recent years, Shannon McCurley and Emily Kay have been selected for the Games. Gurley has been named as reserve.

Boylan crashed earlier this year and broke her collarbone but in a post on Instagram she clarified she was fit and ready to race. She added her non-selection for the Olympic Games was not attributable to any injury issue.

To her credit, she focuses her remarks on the pride she feels at having represented Ireland in the past couple of years during the qualification process, even though it was hard to lose out when the Olympic team was named yesterday.

*Lydia Boylan, right, swings Lydia Gurley into action in the madison on international duty*

She said it was “hard to find words” to sum up how she felt but “proud” was the word that stuck out for her.

“I am so immensely proud of the role I played in qualifying Ireland for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Crazy proud,” she said.

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“I was there from the beginning; racing madison at every Europeans and every Worlds. Representing my nation and my family wearing the green of Ireland has been and always will be a huge honor.

“To miss out now and not complete what I set out to do so many years ago is difficult. There is one specific I do wish to make clear and this is that I was fully fit and ready for selection. No injury was justification for my non-selection.”

Lydia Boylan Worlds medal — *Boylan realises she's won the silver at the Worlds two years ago at the end of the points race in Pruszków, Poland*

Boylan also thanked everyone who had supported her, including her family, friends and love ones are her coach James Spragg of Spragg Performance.

Boylan is a three-time elite national champion in the road race and has won the national title in the scratch race and omnium.

In 2017 in Berlin she teamed up with Gurley in the madison to win silver at the European Track Championships and in 2019 claimed silver in the points race at the World Track Championships in Pruszków.

In 2017 when riding for Team WNT she won a stage at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, a UCI 2.2 ranked race on the European pro circuit.