Crawley’s Olympian Dunlevy wins another top accolade to cap sensational 2024

The 43-year-old has had a sensational year after winning Paralympic Gold in the Women’s Time Trial B road race in Paris with pilot Linda Kelly. Dunlevy also secured two Silver medals in Games in the Individual Pursuit B – with pilot Eve McCrystal - and Road Race B – with Kelly.

Weeks later, Dunlevy and Kelly continued their winning streak at the World Championships in Zurich, where they claimed two more gold medals in the Time Trial B and Road Race B events. This meant the Irish star retained her double Gold Championship wins from the Glasgow Worlds last year.

And Dunlevy and Kelly were rewarded for the brilliant year with the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year – the Irish equivalent of the BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year, which was won by Wigan Warriors in Tuesday night’s ceremony.

The former Great Britain rower’s achievements in 2024 was made even more remarkable by the fact she broke her collarbone at the World Cup in Italy in May, just days later she was back in training getting prepared for Paris.

Dunlevy told us: “I surpassed my expectations. When I broke my collarbone, I didn't really give up hope or anything. I didn't lose the positivity or optimism I had.

“I knew I'd be in Paris, but whether I knew I would get the gold and two silver, I wasn't sure. “I wasn’t sure if I could retain my title because the two time trials I had this year, I had actually lost. One I raced with Linda [Kelly], and we lost to a Great Britain bike, and then one I lost with Eve [McCrystal] a few weeks later, and I lost to a Great Britain bike. But I didn't give up hope.”

Dunlevy was also nominated as RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year, which was won by rower Paul O’Donovan.