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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Walsh and Meehan Take Bronze in Tandem Sprint
By Denis Toomey
13 Feb 2012,
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The Irish spirit really shined through on todays last day of the 2012 UCI Paracycling Track World Championships in Carson L.A. In this morning’s Sprint qualification round Irish Pursuit World Champions set a new Irish Record of 12.259 to leave them in 4th place and secured the last available place in this afternoon’s Match Sprint finals.
Male tandem pairing of Andrew Fitzgerald and Con Collis put in a good performance to record a time of 11.631 which left them in 17th place.
The Irish Team Sprint squad of Colin Lynch, Enda Smyth and Cathal Miller finished just outside the top 10 taking 11th place in a New Irish Record time of 56.840.
In this afternoon’s Tandem Sprint Semi- finals the Irish girls were drawn against favourites GB in the first two heats. Catherine and Fran rode very shrewdly but the experience of the British duo shone through and they took both heats.
In the other Semi-final Australia beat Germany which meant we were going to have to beat Germany in the best of 3 heats to secure the Bronze Medal.
Tactics were agreed with Coach Brian Nugent and the plan was to try and lead out and then maintain pressure on the straights to prevent them passing. This worked a treat and in spite of constant pressure the Germans were unable to come around the girls and we had the first heat in the bag.
Similar tactics were employed in the second heat and by the time the bell was sounded we had broken the Germans and pulled away to win comfortably. A big surprise for Ireland to win a Sprint Medal but great credit to the guts and determination of the two girls to pull another medal out the bag and crown the best ever Track World Championships performance by any Irish Squad where Ireland finished 7th in the medal tally out of 31 countries.
We will know in about 2 weeks what our final Country Ranking Point total accumulation for London Paralympic Games qualification will be, but the tremendous performances by all the squad will surely mean that we will surpass our target and secure 4 male slots and 2 female slots. We can certainly be confident of bringing home Ireland’s first ever cycling medals from the Paralympic Games when you take into consideration that we now 5 current World Championship titles and one silver and two bronze World Championship finishers. I think any sport in Ireland will be hard pushed to match that. So great praise to the athletes, support staff, our Paracycling sponsors An Post and Focus Consulting and other supporters, the Irish Sports Council, Cycling Ireland and Paralympics Ireland. I hope, like me, you are all very proud of the level we have reached in a relatively short number of years.
Onwards and Upwards!!
Denis Toomey
Irish Paralympic Manager
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