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Competition begins for the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway on Thursday, 29th of August in Paris, with the Opening Ceremony taking place on Wednesday 28th.
Of the 35 athletes travelling to represent Ireland at these games, ten are competing in the track and road cycling events.
Richael Timothy and Ronan Grimes will compete in individual events on both the track and road. Multiple World and Paralympic medallist Katie-George Dunlevy will be piloted by Eve McCrystal on the track, and by Linda Kelly on the road. Josephine Healion will be piloted by Linda Kelly on the track and by Eve McCrystal on the road.
Damien Vereker will be piloted by Mitchell McLaughlin for both track and road events. Martin Gordon, piloted by Eoin Mullen, will compete on the track.
Richael played schoolgirl soccer for Ireland (Under 15 and Under 17) alongside current Irish captain Katie McCabe and Gaelic football for Roscommon until her football career was ended by an acquired brain injury. It was caused by treatment for a rare condition known as HHT (Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia) which affects veins and arteries which left her with just 30 per cent power in her left leg.
She made her Irish debut in 2017 and won her first international medal at the Manchester Para-Cycling International in December 2019, winning silver in the Scratch race. She won bronze at the 2020 World Track Championships in the non-Paralympic Scratch Race event in 2020 and in 2021 came fourth (Road Race) and fifth (Time Trial) at the World Road Championships.
Her Paralympic debut was at the Tokyo Games.
Richael has a degree in sports science from Athlone IT. She runs her own business RT Fitness in Ballymoe which offers personal training, strength and conditioning and a recovery suite.
2022 was an incredibly successful year, in which Grimes won the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships MC4 Road Race, while taking Bronze in the Time-Trial, and won the UEC Para-cycling Road European Championship MC4 Time-Trial.
Along with becoming World and European Champion on the road in 2022, Ronan also took Silver in the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in the MC4 Individual Pursuit.
In 2021 Grimes placed third in the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championship Road Race. He also took a bronze in the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championship Individual Pursuit.
2019 saw Grimes take his first UCI Para-cycling Track World Championship medal, as he took silver in the MC4 Scratch Race.
One of Ireland’s most successful Para-cyclists, Katie-George Dunlevy has won several gold medals at Paralympic Games and World Championships competing in the Women’s Tandem events.
Forming a formidable partnership with pilot Eve McCrystal, the duo won three gold medals and two silver medals across the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games as well as five gold medals at UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. Most recently, the pair won a bronze medal at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships.
Dunlevy has partnered with Linda Kelly on the road in 2023 and dominated at international events, picking up overall victory at the UCI Para-cycling World Cup before double gold at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Paris will be her fourth Paralympic Games.
Josephine Healion competes in the women’s tandem events on both track and road. Since 2023, Healion has combined with pilots Eve McCrystal in international road competitions and Linda Kelly in international track competitions.
Healion and Kelly won a bronze medal in the women’s tandem road race at the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. Paris will be her first Paralympic Games.
Martin Gordon is a long standing member of the Ireland Para-cycling National Team, first competing in endurance events before he specialised as a sprinter. He has represented Ireland at multiple championships including the Tokyo Paralympic Games where he placed fifth in the Men’s 1km Time Trial B.
Previously riding with pilot Eamonn Byrne, Gordon is now piloted by Eoin Mullen. The duo finished in fifth at the 2023 World Championships in the Men’s Tandem Sprint.
Martin is a sprint specialist and works as a Barrister.
An experienced member of the Ireland Para-cycling National Team, Damien Vereker represented Ireland at the 2016 Paralympic Games.
He has partnered with Mitchell McLaughlin since 2023, the pair compete in both track and road events and picked up a ninth place finish in the time trial at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Paris will be his second Paralympic Games.
Eve McCrystal has won several gold medals at Paralympic Games and World Championships competing in the Women’s Tandem events as pilot on both the road and track.
Forming a formidable partnership with Katie-George Dunlevy, the duo won three Gold medals and two Silver medals across the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games as well as five Gold medals at UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. Most recently, the pair won a Bronze medal at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships.
Paris will be McCrystal’s third Paralympic Games. She is a member of An Garda Síochána.
McCrystal competes regularly on the national circuit and is highly competitive. She won the 2018 Road National Championships and has recorded multiple podium finishes at Road National Championships.
Over the last 10 years she has podiumed six times at the Time Trial National Championships and in 2020 she claimed the National Champions title.
Linda Kelly rides on both the road and track as a women’s tandem pilot. On the road, Kelly won double gold at the 2023 UCI World Championships piloting Katie-George Dunlevy as well as overall victory in the UCI Para-cycling World Cup.
In 2022, Kelly also won Bronze at the UCI World Championships as pilot to Josephine Healion. Paris will be her first Paralympic Games.
On the national circuit, Kelly finished third in the Time Trial National Championships in 2023 and 2021, and third in the Road National Championships in 2021.
Mitchell McLaughlin joined the Ireland Para-cycling National Team in 2023 and is currently pilot to experienced rider Damien Vereker.
The pair compete in both track and road events and picked up a 9th place finish in the time trial at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Paris will be his first Paralympic Games.
McLaughlin currently rides for All Human Velo Revolution Cycling team and is a familiar face around any major cycling race in Ireland, he recently competed in the Rás Tailteann and the Dornan Rás Mumhan. He finished third in the Under 23 Time Trial National Championship in 2020.
Eoin Mullen is a tandem pilot and pairs up with Martin Gordon in the Men’s Tandem events on track, the duo have represented Ireland at UCI Para-cycling World Championships.
Paris will be his first Paralympic Games.
At last year’s Senior Track National Championships Mullen was second in the Men’s Senior Keirin and in the Senior Sprint.
There will be racing across seven days of the Games, opening with Richael Timothy on the track on Day 1. Richael also closes out our competition at these games with the Road Race on Day 10. Please note that all times listed are Irish time.
Times listed for Road Events are sessions times not exact race times. Race times will be made available once the start lists are published.
C1–3 Women’s 3000m Individual Pursuit (qualifying and final)
B4 Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit (qualifying & final)
C4-5 1000m Time Trial (qualifying and final)
Women’s B 1000m Time Trial (qualifying & final)
C1 – 3 500m Time Trial (qualifying and final)
C4-5 4000m Individual Pursuit (qualifying and final)
Men’s B 1000m Time Trial (qualifying & final)
Women’s B 3000m Individual Pursuit (qualifying & final)
Women’s C1–3 Individual Time Trial
Men’s B Individual Time Trial
Men’s C4 Individual Time Trial
Women’s B Individual Time Trial
Men’s C4-5 Road Race
Men’s B Road Race
Women’s B Road Race
Women’s C1 – 3 Road Race
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