Having pressed through some big barriers in Paris this weekend, Eoin Mullen is growing in stature as a big time sprinting trail blazer for Ireland (Photo: Guy Swarbrick)
Having competed at his first World Track Championships in Minsk two years ago and since then won a bronze medal at the U23 European Championships, Eoin Mullen has expressed his satisfaction at how the World Championships has gone for him in Paris this weekend.
From the Aran Islands, the 20-year-old put in an excellent ride in the sprint event qualifying 200m time trial, clocking a sea level personal best time of 9.939 seconds.
That was enough to put him into the next round of the competition and placed him in the top 24 competitors in the sprint event in the world, no mean achievement for one so young.
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He is becoming a trail blazer for Ireland in the event, as the country has no record to speak of in big time sprinting.
Of his qualifying round ride he said: “That was kind of the target coming in; top 24.
“And I was hoping for a sub 10 and I got it as well, so I’m delighted.
“I’d done a 10.1 in racing, and done a few 10.0s in training but never a sub 10 in a race, so it’s good.”
He came up against Kiwi rider Edward Dawkins head to head in the next round of the competition, where he was ultimately beaten.
“I met Dawkins in the next round I knew what he was going to do, he dived down,” he said.
“I could have closed him off but I hesitated for that split second and then he went.”
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Still aged only 20 years, Eoin Mullen's name is one to chalk down and to keep a very close eye on (Photo: Guy Swarbrick)
However, with two World Championships now in his legs and having competed regularly at the UCI World Cup for Ireland, Mullen seemed content that everything is going in the right direction.
Still based at the UCI’s centre of excellence in Aigle, Switzerland; as well as winning the sprint bronze at the Europeans last summer, late last year he won his first international meeting when he took the sprint event at the Three Days of Aigle.
And at the completion of his Worlds campaign in Paris yesterday he reflected on how far he had come since lining out at his first Worlds in Minsk exactly two years ago.
“Minsk was an experience; it seems I was a little boy back then,” he said.
“I’ve come a long way, the progression is good. You’ve got to keep your head high as well.
“It’s nice to finish the season on a high. Rio is more a hope of qualifying; and use that as experience,” he said of the qualifying campaign ahead for the Olympics next year.
“And the (long term) target would be Tokyo and give that the best shot, fingers crossed,” he added in reference to the Olympics in 2020.
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