Ireland has achieved a remarkable sporting feat by securing the first qualification for the Women’s Team Pursuit event at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
This historic milestone was confirmed at the conclusion of a successful qualification period on 15 April, elevating Ireland's status among the elite nations in track cycling and signifying a significant leap forward for the Irish Track squad.
The qualification not only ensures Ireland's participation in the Women’s Team Pursuit event but also guarantees spots in the Women’s Omnium and Women’s Madison events on the track at the Paris Olympics. This remarkable accomplishment reflects the strategic focus of the High Performance Unit on women’s endurance events, a direction initiated following the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 and reinforced with the appointment of National Track Coach Dan Henchy in July 2022.
Cycling Ireland High Performance Director Iain Dyer described the achievement as a ‘testimony’ to the dedication and expertise of the riders and team staff: “It’s notable that in the Women’s Team Pursuit we have outqualified several nations with strong track programmes and cycling cultures, and not least of all plenty of nations that have their own indoor velodromes. I think it’s a testimony to the knowledge and tenacity of staff and riders alike, that we developed a sound strategy and could execute it."
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭
Read the full story 👇https://t.co/VBRAru12Bw pic.twitter.com/dOhS0PYOgT— Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) April 16, 2024
“With the way the rankings work, you almost feel like you have to qualify to qualify, and that process begins over a year away from the Olympic qualification process itself, so it’s felt full-on for the entire Olympic cycle to be in this position, especially with having to train away from home constantly. There’s no doubt there’s lots of young athletes with big track potential in our system but not having a home indoor facility yet remains a significant barrier.”
Since the Tokyo Olympics, Ireland has exhibited consistent improvement and competitiveness on the international stage since the Tokyo Olympics, evidenced by the breaking of the national record multiple times - the current record is an impressive 4:15.698 as of March 2024, down from 4:21.368 in September 2021.
The Women’s Team Pursuit unit, comprising talented athletes such as Alice Sharpe, Kelly Murphy, Lara Gillespie, Mia Griffin, Emily Kay (who retired at the end of the 2023 season), and Erin Creighton (who joined the unit in 2023), delivered a stellar performance at the recent Hong Kong round of the UCI Tissot Track Nations Cup. Their record-setting display and silver medal triumph solidified their qualification campaign.
𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 🥈
Ireland ride brilliantly and will take silver in the Women's Team Pursuit at the UCI Tissot Track Nations Cup 👏
A significant step towards Olympic Qualification and a provisional new National Record along the way! 🙌
Well done all! ☘️ pic.twitter.com/YizvMNaPjF— Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) March 15, 2024
Looking ahead, the focus shifts to nominating the team to the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) and embarking on a pre-games training camp in Mallorca to fine-tune preparations. The anticipation builds as the Track Cycling events at the 2024 Olympic Games are slated to take place from August 5th to 11th, with Ireland also set to compete in the road events.
Attention now turns to nominating the team to the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI), which will select the final team for the Paris Olympic Games. The team will also participate in a pre-games training camp in Mallorca to fine-tune their preparations before the Games.
Speaking on the nomination process, Dyer said: "The nomination process is a little different to the way we’d normally make selections, and such is the eligibility criteria there are just five athletes from which to nominate. We’ll be seeking expressions of interest from those athletes this week and will proceed in line with the published policy. Actual selection by the OFI comes later and team announcements will all follow via Team Ireland.”
The Track Cycling events at the 2024 Olympic Games will take place from 5-11 August.
