Orla Walsh gets the power down on the Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow at the European Track Championships (Photo: Alex Broadway - SWpix.com)
Orla Walsh looks very strong at European Champs
[wpbrad id=135]
A relative newcomer to international track cycling, Orla Walsh has just put in a very solid ride for Ireland that suggests there may be big things ahead.
Walsh has broken her personal best in the 500m TT; a strong ride under pressure at a major championships.
While she failed to advance to the next round, her time of 36.478 was very close to Robyn Stewart’s Irish record of 36.290.
Stewart set that marker 18 months ago and has since improved hugely. She is now blazing a trail for Irish sprinting internationally.
Orla Walsh will be hoping she can find similar improvements on the track cycling scene in the next couple of years.
Advertisement
She was part of the team pursuit line-up that lost each other in qualifying last week during a ride they will want to forget.
That Walsh has shown the mental resolve to bounce back from that difficult moment and bang out a personal best is admirable.
And she was pleased after her ride earlier today, saying the short sharp race is very tough.
Related News
“It’s just pedal until you’re blacking out. That’s how it feels – just keep going until the line,” she said of the two-lap all-out effort.
“I only joined a cycling club in 2016. And last year as part of the talent transfer programme I was selected to train with the girls over in Majorca,” she said of taking her place in the experimental pursuit squad.
“So we have been doing that for the past year. This is our second competition ever, so this is all brand new. And we are getting to know it and learn how to race.”
Walsh added the fact she had progressed so rapidly in the sport would spur her on further.
“I was just riding my bike to work in 2015 and really enjoyed it – the fact that I’m here racing against the best in the world is just crazy,” she said.
“It’s really inspirational and giving me motivation to train harder, keep going and get better.”
[wpbrad id=135]
Orla Walsh up now in the 500m Time Trial Qualifying ???♀️?? #Glasgow2018 pic.twitter.com/Wdbm2DVYWA
— Evanne Ní Chuilinn (@EvanneNiC) August 6, 2018
Orla Walsh finishes her 500m TT with a personal record in a time of 36.478. Great time just 0.18 seconds outside the National Record of 36.290 set by @robynestewart00
The qualifying rounds of the 500m TT at the European Championships in #Glasgow2018 #TheMoment ??☘ pic.twitter.com/K0OMgXOOce
— Cycling Ireland (@IreCyclingFed) August 6, 2018
Topics
