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Double World Podium for Ireland in Women’s Para-Cycling Road Race

ByEmma Porter |

On the final day of competition at the Para-Cycling Road World Championships the Irish Women secure further gold and bronze in the road races, adding to the silver that they won in the time trial earlier in the competition.

 

In the women’s tandem road race, Ireland took an impressive win and claimed an additional spot on the podium with Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal winning gold and Josephine Healion and Linda Kelly claiming bronze.

 

 

Dunlevy and McCrystal soloed to victory to claim their 6th World Championship title. The double Paralympic gold medallists launched an attack on the climb, with one and a half laps to go, and were strong enough to hold their lead to the line to claim their 6th world title. The pair come away from a successful championship campaign with a silver in the time trial and gold in the road race.

 

Speaking after the event, McCrystal said, “It was a nice course; it was the same as the time trial we just had an extra hill in it. It was a challenging enough course, but it was nice and flowy. We got away mid-race with the British team; we’ve been beaten before in a sprint with them so we just couldn’t take them to the line. We discussed tactics and we went on the climb of the second last lap, and we rode to the rainbow jersey which was great.”

 

“I’m absolutely over the moon. It’s our sixth World Championship medal and it’s as special as the first and you know we lost the titles last year so it’s great to get that back to bring to Ireland.” Dunlevy added.

 

Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com – 14/08/2022 – Cycling – UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships – Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada – Road Race – WOMEN’S B ROAD RACE – Ireland , HEALION, Josephine takes BRONZE

Competing for the first time internationally at the World Cup last weekend, Healion and Kelly have more than proved themselves as worthy contenders at this level. After the disappointment of suffering a major mechanical in the time trial on Friday which delayed them by close to 10 minutes, the pair left it all out on the road today and were awarded with a well-deserved bronze medal. In the end it came down to a sprint between Ireland and Poland for the bronze medal. Just 15 metres from the finish line the timing chain came off on the Irish bike, but Healion and Kelly had done enough to see them cross the finish line just ahead of Poland.

 

 

 

Irish Women’s Road Race Results:

  • Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal (WB) – Gold
  • Josephine Healion and Linda Kelly (WB) – Bronze

 

Irish Women’s Time Trial Results:

  • Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal (WB) – Silver
  • Josephine Healion and Linda Kelly (WB) – 7th

 

Para-cycling Classifications:

WB: Athletes who are blind or visually impaired. They compete using a two-person cycle known as a tandem, with a sighted “pilot” in the front seat.

 

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