Ireland's Lara Gillespie on her way to a brilliant medal; one that surely signals a glittering career ahead.
Lara Gillespie has converted her obvious world class potential into her first medal at a major championships.
The Orwell Wheelers teenager has finished with a silver medal in the junior individual pursuit at the European Track Championships.
And while Gillespie’s physical ability has been clear for some time, she showed a mentality to match on the velodrome in Switzerland today.
Having broken the Irish record in qualifying as she rode herself in the gold-silver ride-off, the first-year would lower the national marker again in the final.
She clearly coped very well with the pressure and indeed upped her game in the biggest moments of her career to date.
It means Gillespie has now broken the Irish junior 2km pursuit record three times in the last week; once at the recent Worlds and twice today in Aigle.
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Fastest in the qualifiers this morning was the Italian Vittoria Guazzini. She is the reigning world champion.
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Lara Gillespie clocked a time of 2:22.635 in the 2km event compared to Guazzini’s 2:21.046.
And in the final while Gillespie was beaten by the Italian, she lowered the Irish record again; this time to 2:21.8.
She has shaved almost five seconds off the old record in just one week; an incredible margin in this event.
Her medal today is not the first time she has come away with silverware at a major international event.
She took silver in the TT at the Youth Olympics last year, though medalling at a major championships is a much bigger achievement.
Gillespie claimed the national elite cyclocross title earlier this year. She later rode the U23 race at the Worlds, finishing 23rd aged just 16 years.
Since then she has won the Irish junior road race title. And at the Irish junior track championships in April she won gold in the pursuit, sprint, scratch race and 500 metre TT.
Lara Gillespie joins an elite group of Irish riders to win medals at the European Track Championships.
Sam Bennett won gold in the junior points race at the Europeans 10 years ago. Mark Downey took junior points race silver in 2014.
Last year JB Murphy won silver in the junior elimination race; followed by bronze at the Worlds in the junior points race.
Also 12 months ago, Xeno Young won silver in the junior pursuit and the Europeans. He also took silver at the Worlds.
More to follow.
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