Lara Gillespie blasts to medal in glittering start to European Champs

Lara Gillespie has clearly been working hard on the track, the Irish U23 rider taking a big step forward at the European Track Championships today

Lara Gillespie is guaranteed at least a silver medal, and looks in with a great chance of gold, in the U23 individual pursuit at the European Track Championships.

The Irish rider has opened Ireland's campaign at the championships, which are for both U23s and juniors, by recording the fastest time in qualifying in the individual pursuit.

And that means she progresses to the gold-silver ride-off at the championships in the Netherlands later today.

The 20-year-old - who was part of the elite Irish team pursuit line-up that won World Cup gold in Russia last month - clocked a time of 3:34.236 for the 3km event in qualifying today. That was the quickest time of the 17-rider field.

Silvia Zanardi of Italy was second fastest, in a time of 3:36.910 - over 2½ seconds slower than Gillespie. Abi Smith of Great Britain was 3rd in a time of 3:37.603 while Nastassia Kiptsikava of Belarus was 4th fastest, clocking 3:37.621.

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Those results mean Gillespie - who was a European champion on the track as a junior, when she took multiple Euros and Worlds medals - will go up against Zanardi later today in Apeldoorn to decide the destination of the gold and silver medals.

British rider Smith will face off against Kiptsikava of Belarus to decide who wins bronze and who places 4th in the competition.

As well as Gillespie in the U23 pursuit, Ireland also had Gaby Homer (20) in the field and she was 7th fastest in qualifying, in a time of 3:43.210.

Gillespie adds her medal in the U23 individual pursuit today to the European junior title she took in the points race as a junior back in 2018, when she also claimed pursuit silver.

The following season she took three silvers in the junior Europeans - in the pursuit, scratch race and points race - and weeks later she claimed bronze in the pursuit at the World Track Championships.

Lots more to come from the Europeans, where Ireland has a junior and U23 team riding a large number of races this week.