Shannon McCurley has medaled at a European Championships for Ireland in the past and is in blistering form in Australia at present.
Based in Australia but having declared for and represented Ireland, track star Shannon McCurley has put manners on some of Australia’s best young riders in recent days on the track Down Under.
The Victoria-based 20-year-old took victory in two scratch races on consecutive days in Tasmania on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The top five in both races was exactly the same, with McCurley grabbing the wins in sprint finishes from a group on both occasions. In both races she beat four Australia riders who combined have won a hatful of Australia and world titles. Those riders were; Amy Cure, Georgia Baker, Macey Stewart and Josie Talbot.
A glance at the palmares of those beaten by McCurley underlines how well the Irish international is going at present.
Advertisement
Cure (21) represented Australia in the London Olympics 18 months ago and as well as being in the line-up that won the team pursuit gold at the World Junior Championships in 2009 she also won gold in the scratch race and silver in the individual pursuit at those championships in Russia.
Related News
In 2010 she won a bronze medal in the junior time trial at the World Road Race Championships and in 2013 at the Track World Championships took silver in the elite individual pursuit.
She has also held the individual and team pursuit world records.
Baker (19) has won two world titles – in the team pursuit at the World Junior Track Championships in 2011 and 2012. Macey Stewart has won six Australian titles and took a bronze in the team pursuit at the World Junior Track Championships last year, where Josie Talbot took a bronze medal in the individual pursuit.
McCurley, who has ridden for Ireland at a World Cup in the past, rode the scratch race at the World Track Championships in Melbourne in 2012.
She won a bronze medal in the scratch race at the U23 European Championships in Poland in 2011 and is hopeful of repeating those medal winning exploits in an Irish jersey in the future.
Topics
