Strong Para Cycling Team Announced for the Paralympic Games
Paralympics Ireland Media Release
Paralympics Ireland have announced the Para Cycling team that will represent Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Seven athletes have been selected for the team, five of whom will be competing at their first ever Paralympic Games. Rio gold and silver medallists, Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal will return to Tokyo with their sights firmly set on repeating the success of 2016. Ronan Grimes, Richael Timothy, Gary O’Reilly and the tandem pair of Martin Gordon and Eamon Byrne will all be making their first appearances at the Paralympic Games.
Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have been amongst the top competitors in the world since their medal winning performances in Rio. The tandem pair won silver on the road at the World Championships in June narrowly missing out on the gold medal in the 33.6km time trial. The duo are expected to compete in the 1000m Time Trial, 3000m Individual pursuit on the track and in the Time Trial and Road Race.
Galway’s Ronan Grimes has had some outstanding performance in the recent past including winning bronze at the Paracycling Road World Championships in 2020. Ronan will be competing in the 1000m Time Trial and 4000m Individual Pursuit on the track and in the Time Trial and Road Race. Gary O’Reilly will be Ireland’s only hand cyclist at the Tokyo Games and the Laois man has hit form at the right time having claimed a brilliant fourth placed finish at the Para Cycling Road World Championships in Cascais last month. Gary’s two events will take place on the road as he competes in the Time Trial and Road Race.
Richael Timothy will also make her first appearance at the Paralympic Games when she competes in the 3000m Individual Pursuit and the 500m Time Trial on the track before switching to the road for the Time Trial and Road Race. Richael was a bronze medallist at the Para Cycling Track Championships in Canada in the WC3 Scrath Race in 2020 and has showed brilliant form already this season. Martin Gordon from Sligo will be joined by his pilot Eamon Byrnes on the tandem where they will have high hopes of producing some memorable performances for Team Ireland. Sprint specialists, Martin and Eamon, will be competing in the track tandem sprint events.
Speaking about the announcement of the Para Cycling team that will represent Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Chef de Mission, Neasa Russell said,
‘We are delighted to announce such a strong Para Cycling squad for the Paralympic Games. Our seven athletes will all have a very strong chance of recording some memorable performances at the Games both on the Track and Road competitions. The team will depart tomorrow for their training camp and I just want to wish them the very best when we next see them in Tokyo.’
Team Ireland Para Cycling Squad:
Katie-George Dunlevy
Classification: WB
Event: Track - 1km Time Trial, 3km Pursuit. Road - 32km Time Trial and Road Race.
County: Crawley (UK) | Donegal
Major Results: Gold in the Time Trial and Silver in the Road Race at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Five-time World Champions.
Eve McCrystal (Pilot)
Classification: WB
Event: Track - 1km Time Trial, 3km Pursuit. Road - 32km Time Trial and Road Race.
County: Louth
Major Results: Gold in the Time Trial and Silver in the Road Race at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Five-time World Champions.
Martin Gordon
Classification: MB
Event: 1,000m Time Trial, 4,000m Pursuit. Road - 32km Time Trial and Road Race.
County: Sligo
Major Results: Silver in the Sprint at the Track World Cup in 2018.
Eamonn Byrne (Pilot)
Classification: MB
Event: 1,000m Time Trial, 4,000m Pursuit. Road - 32km Time Trial and Road Race.
County: Dublin
Major Results: Silver in the Sprint at the Track World Cup in 2018.
Richael Timothy
Classification: WC3
Event: Track - 3km Individual Pursuit, 500m Time Trial. Road - Time Trial and Road Race.
County: Roscommon
Major Results: Bronze at the 2020 Para Cycling Track Championships in the Scratch Race.
Ronan Grimes
Classification: MC4
Event: Track - 1000m Time Trial, 4000m Individual Pursuit. Road - Time Trial and Road Race
County: Galway
Major Results: Bronze at the Paracycling Road World Championships on the track in 2020. Bronze at the 2021 Paracycling Road World Championships in the Road Race.
Gary O’Reilly
Classification: MH5
Event: Road - Time Trial and Road Race.
County: Laois
Major Results: Bronze at the 2021 Paracycling Road World Championships in the Time Trial, fourth in the Road Race.