Former world track champion Martyn Irvine, now a Cycling Ireland coach, has said the Irish track team can target top results at the Olympic Games.
Though there has been significant interruption to training and racing for over a year due to the pandemic, Ireland had qualified a women’s and men’s pairing for the madison event before Covid-19 struck.
And that qualification in the madison also opens two places, one for men and one for women, in the omnium event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Emily Kay and Shannon McCurley have been selected with the women’s madison, with Lydia Gurley named as reserve. Felix English and Mark Downey have been named for the men’s madison, with Fintan Ryan as reserve.
And now Irvine, a former professional rider on the road as well as track Olympian, says despite the pandemic everyone in contention for selection within the Irish camp pushed the team’s standard higher of late.
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“The last year has been really challenging for everyone, and the grit and resilience that the whole squad has shown has resulted in this selection, and team that is not just going to Tokyo to participate, but to compete for top results,” he said.
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Irvine continued: “It is a squad that has real potential, and tough decisions had to be made during selection.
"But I can honestly say that the reason we are at this point, fielding such a strong team, is because of each of those athletes who drove the standard on.
“Leading into the Games now, we are focusing on trusting the process, making sure the team is 100 per cent prepared, and ready for some top class racing,” added Irvine, who won a gold and two silvers at the Worlds and a bronze in both the Commonwealth Games and Europeans.
Mark Downey, who is following in the footsteps of his Olympian
father Seamus, said he was delighted the team had been confirmed and his name
was on that list.
“It’s something I dreamt about as a kid, and I have been
working towards this for my whole lifetime really,” said Downey.
“The rollercoaster of the last twelve months, it’s nice
to finally get the official writing, and I’m really looking forward to
presenting the best version of myself in the national colours come August, on
the biggest stage in the world.”
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