Busy weekend ahead for Ireland at the Paralympics

Sat, 31 Aug, 2024 - 06:01

Eoghan Cormican, Paris

The warm-up went well. Very well.

Ronan Grimes and the needs-no-introduction pair of Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal began their latest Paralympic campaigns early on Friday. Grimes was circling the velodrome in the C4-5 1,000m time trial, Dunlevy and McCrystal in the women's B time trial over the same distance.

For both, this was not their strongest track event. Their strongest track events arrive over a potentially medal-busy weekend for the Irish at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome. Grimes will go first in Saturday morning’s C4 4,000m individual pursuit, Dunlevy and McCrystal will remount their tandem for the women’s B 3,000m individual pursuit 24 hours later.

Grimes and the three-time Paralympic gold-medal winning pair will go into those pursuit races encouraged by what they produced in their opening events. Dunlevy and McCrystal clocked 1:09.094 in their heat to advance fifth, their final time of 1:09.447 maintaining that fifth place spot.

And while Galway man Grimes did not make his respective final, his 1:05.521 was a national record that left him eighth, just two spots outside of progression. Not bad for an event he did not train for.

“The individual pursuit, that should suit me a bit better,” said the 35-year-old who has club foot.

“Fingers crossed I can do a good ride there, hopefully I think I should have it in me. There’s good power in me now.”

Also in track cycling action on Friday was Josephine Healion and pilot Linda Kelly who missed out by one spot on a place in the 1,000m time trial final. They, like Dunlevy and McCrystal, continue a busy Paralympic program on Sunday in the individual pursuit.

Elsewhere, Shauna Bocquet is part of Saturday morning’s T54 5,000m final line up after qualifying fourth from her heat. She advanced ninth fastest of the 10 qualifiers in a time of 12:44:52.

“I’m really happy with how that race went and how I felt and I’m just delighted to be in the final,” said the Galway woman.

Kerrie Leonard lost out by only five shots, 140-135, in her archery elimination round against 2016 Paralympic champion Jiamin Zhou.

Ending a 12-year gap since Ireland last had a Paralympic boat, birthday girl Katie O’Brien and Tiarnán O’Donnell finished fourth in their PR2 Mixed Double Sculls heat and so will occupy a lane in Saturday morning’s repechage for what will be their last shot at securing final involvement.

“(Saturday) is our final and we’ll be giving it everything. If we get to that last 500m and we’re in the mix, we have just got to back ourselves and empty the tank,” O’Donnell said of needing to finish in the top two to qualify.