Katie-George Dunlevy and sighted tandem pilot Eve McCrystal are a formidable pairing and will go to the Rio Paralympic Games as medal contenders. Pictured here accepting bronze medals at a World Cup in the Netherlands last year.
By Brian Canty
Eight cyclists have been named on the 44-strong Irish team for the Rio Paralympic Games, which will take place from September 7th to 18th.
Eoghan Clifford (Co Galway), Katie-George Dunlevy (Crawley, UK) and pilot Eve McCrystal (Co Louth), Colin Lynch (Macclesfield, UK), Declan Slevin (Co Westmeath), Ciara Staunton (Co Wicklow), Damien Vereker (Co Kilkenny) and pilot Seán Hahessy (Co Tipperary) have all made the selection.
Of that eight, only former world champion Colin Lynch and Katie-George Dunlevy have been to an Paralympics before.
Lynch competed in London four years ago in the men’s team sprint alongside Cathal Miller and Enda Smyth.
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He was also fourth in the C2 individual pursuit having made it through to the bronze medal ride-off.
Multiple worlds medallists Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal are the only women in action and they have developed a brilliant understanding between one another.
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They will go in the tandem events and will be medal contenders.
In 2014 they stormed to silver in the women’s B tandem road race at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in the USA and last year they claimed third in the time trial in the World Cup in Italy.
At the Paracycling World Road Championships in Switzerland they just missed out on bronze but this year they claimed gold in both the time-trial and the road race events.
Galway Bay CC man Eoghan Clifford has made a stunning transition to the programme and since 2014 when he joined he’s become a double world champion in the MC3 road and time-trial events.
Last year he won gold at a World Cup in Switzerland in the TT and went on to win bronze a few days later in the road race.
This year, he’s won gold and silver in the equivalent World Cup and he will go to Rio as a real medal contender.
Slevin (H3) and Staunton (C7) are newcomers but the former has medalled at a major championships and Staunton, from Baltinglass, is making huge progress in the run-up to Rio.
Damien Vereker and sighted tandem pilot Sean Hahessy are another great pairing and have already medalled at a World Cup in South Africa.
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