Greta Lawless and Dean Harvey have flown the flag for Ireland - in the women's junior race and men's U23 event - at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Tábor, Czech Republic, today.
While both were gridded close to the back of their fields at the start today they put in a very strong performances, especially Lawless who was making her debut at the Worlds.
Lawless, who had already ridden the Europeans in France this year and the European Youth Olympics last year as an U16, picked off many of the riders ahead of her on a challenging course.
She put in the kind of performance she can really build on towards her MTB season and her next 'cross campaign, placing 33rd in the 53-rider field.
Lawless was some 4:28 down on French winner Célia Gery; the dominant junior this season on the international scene who had already won gold in the mixed relay on Friday in Tábor as well as claiming the European title and winning the Dublin World Cup in November.
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Gery was one of three riders - with Great Britain's Cat Ferguson and Viktória Chladoňová of Slovakia - who dominated the race; riding as a trio well ahead of the nearest chasers.
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On the final lap, Gery showed her strength in pulling ahead of Ferguson to settle gold and silver - by a margin of just five seconds - with Chladoňová taking bronze at 14 seconds.
Lawless more that justified her selection today, riding very strongly and with every right now to aim for much more next season when she will be eligible to ride the junior race again.
In the U23 men's race, the gold medal also went to the dominant rider of the season; Tibor Del Grosso of the Netherlands, also a winner in Dublin in November, emerging with a really decisive victory today.
He rode from the front to win by 27 seconds from Belgian duo Emiel Verstrynge and Jente Michels, who took silver and bronze respectively.
Ireland's Harvey, the Irish elite champion making just his second appearance at a Worlds, was 33rd today at 5:42 in the 57-rider race.
The Dublin World Cup aside, where he placed 11th, today's finish was the best international result of Harvey's season, with the Trinity Racing rider pulling a very strong performance out of the bag on the biggest day.
There were not Irish women in action in the women's elite race today - won by a brilliant Fem van Empel, leading a Dutch sweep of the medals. However, Conor Murphy is in action tomorrow for Ireland in the men's junior race.
