Oisin O’Callaghan aims for Worlds gold again after RTE win | Sticky Bottle

Oisín O’Callaghan with his father Chris. The young Limerick downhill rider won the world title last year and last night scooped the RTE Young Sportsperson of 2020 Award (Photo with thanks to O'Callaghan family)

Oisín O’Callaghan is celebrating again after winning the RTE Young Sportsperson of 2020 Award last night, which he adds to the success he achieved at the end of last year.

The 17-year-old took two UCI Downhill World Cup wins in 2020, both in Slovenia in October, and also claimed junior gold at the World Championships in Austria the same month.

While he's on top of the world he's taking it in his stride and in the RTE promo video about him for last night's show he looks into the camera and smiles: "What just happened?"

What's happened is he's arrived on the world stage in recent months and, as many Irish cyclists could attest to, that can be as hard as getting significant recognition at home.

But last night's RTE award win shows he has really registered among the Irish public and the media. And now he's hoping for more later this year, even if he is clearly still digesting the milestones that have come so rapidly of late.

Junior World Downhill Mountain Bike Champion, Limerick's Oisín O'Callaghan, moved through the gears to dial in a perfect run in 2020 - he is the RTÉ Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year #RTESport #RTESportAwards pic.twitter.com/KQQReSX4SQ

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) January 28, 2021

“With the
World Championships title, in the junior category you only have
two years. And there's only ever been five people in the world to win it as a first-year junior and I was the
fifth,” he said in disbelief.

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Italy's hero Balsamo mobbed mid-stage during Giro TT

“So even to do that is something that's never really seen very often. And to make history in Ireland; to be the first one to be a downhill world champion was incredible.”

Asked where it all started, O’Callaghan said he took his lead from his mountain biking dad Chris, who runs the bike rental on the Ballyhoura trails in Limerick, right next to the family home in Ardpatrick.

“Living close to
Ballyhoura it was natural to go up and have fun with my friends and
it just progressed from there,” he said.

“I've always looked up to a guy called Steve Pete, who my dad wrote an email to when I was really young for my birthday,” he explained of former British pro Pete, who won the Worlds and Europeans.

“He's always someone that I looked up to and since I won (the Worlds) I've talked to him the whole time. So it's crazy.”

Asked about his plans for the year ahead, O’Callaghan said he’d like to be world champion again and also win the UCI World Cup, a series he very nearly won last year.