Max Fitzgerald has added a new senior record for the 1km TT to the junior Irish record he set last year after smashing his personal best at the European Track Championships in Konya, Turkey, today.
While there were no medals for the Irish today, 12 months on from Lara Gillespie's historic elimination race triumph, the new-look team pursuit line-up has continued its progress, recording a faster time in round 1 compared to qualifying yesterday.
The time of 4:20.538 they clocked today easily bested their 4:21.973 from qualifying. But, more significantly, they have made a huge chunk of progress since their first competitive outings at the Europeans and Worlds last year.
Emma Jeffers, Fiona Mangan, Erin Creighton and Esther Wong today went almost 10 seconds faster than the team pursuiters at the Worlds in Chile last October - 4:31.154. They were also significantly quicker than their two rides at the Europeans 12 months ago, when they clocked 4:29.432 in qualifying and 4:30.775 in the first round.
Advertisement
They were up in 'Heat 1' of the first round today along with the Dutch. Though they beat the women from the Netherlands, obviously only four teams went through to the finals, with the Irish missing out.
Gold went to Great Britain – a line-up that included former Irish international Josie Knight - with Germany taking silver and Italy bronze.
Related News
In the men’s kilo, senior Europeans debutant, and first-year U23, Fitzgerald stopped the clock in a time of 1:01.804. That comfortably beat Conor Rowley's Irish senior record, of 1:02.842, set in 2021.
Fitzgerald, who won a silver medal in the junior scratch race at the Europeans last year, today also cut the best part of two seconds from his previous personal best of 1:03.598, which he clocked at the Europeans last year and remains the Irish junior record.
Though Fitzgerald was 20th of the 25 starters in qualifying today, meaning he did not advance, he is developing a habit of getting the best out of himself on the big occasion.
He was also up against much older and more experienced rivals today, but his time reflects an impressive rate of progress that he will hope to extend.
Also in action today for Ireland in individual events were Matti Dobbins and Aoife O'Brien.
Dobbins was 10th in the men's points race. O'Brien – who was replaced today in the team pursuit line-up by Jeffers - placed 11th in the elimination race, which Gillespie won last year for Ireland's first ever senior European title.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Fitzgerald is up again, in the men’s scratch race qualifying round, and Olympic scholarship rider O’Brien takes on the women’s omnium.
