Great start of the Irish Team (Day 1) Well done Shannon x
(I wonder who the tongue is directed to?)
Shannon McCurley (27) has won Silver in the scratch race on Day 1 of the European Track Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. The race was won by Emily Nelson of Great Britain in a sprint finish with Maria Martins of Poland taking the bronze medal.
Speaking after the race Shannon said: “With seven laps to go I was right at the back. I think I was hopeful that it was all going to go up and it did and I think with about three to go I spotted Emily shoot down the bottom and I knew she had good legs, she was coming into this strong, and that was the wheel I wanted to be on.” “Yeah, it’s been a long time coming. As you saw me at the end of the race, I was speechless.”
As well as Championship medals the event, which starts on Wednesday, marks the start of the next phase of qualification for Tokyo 2020, providing valuable Olympic qualification points. The team contains a mix of youth and experience and includes several World and European medallists. Lydia Boylan won silver in the Points Race at the 2019 Track World Championships and along with teammate Lydia Gurley, they won silver in the Madison at the 2018 Track European Championships. 23-year-old Mark Downey will be hoping to re-find the form that won him a bronze at the 2019 Track World Championships as he lines up in the Madison alongside Fintan Ryan. 2019 Junior Track World Championship bronze medallist, Lara Gillespie makes the step up to the senior level as does Xeno Young who won silver in the Individual Pursuit in 2017.
