'Fairytale' - Crawley cyclist Dunlevy enjoys successful Paralympics in Paris
Crawley’s Paralympic cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy returned from Paris with one Gold medal and two silvers – despite shattering her collarbone in three months earlier.
At the end of May, Dunlevy and her pilot Eve McCrystal, who repeesent Ireland, fell in the World Cup in Italy and she shattered her collar bone needing a plate, mesh and six screws to put it back together again. Six days after the operation the 42-year-old was back on her bike determined to compete for a medal in Paris.
In the Velodrome in Paris, McCrystal, who has been Dunlevy’s pilot for 10 years, was retiring from competition and the 1000km time trial and 3000km pursuit were the last time the pair would race together. At the Tokyo Paralympics they won a silver medal even though Ireland have no Velodrome and they hoped to equal that in Paris.
They were delighted to win Silver again despite Katie still being in pain. It was a fairytale ending for herself and Eve after a decade of racing together.
The 48km Time Trial was very exciting and Dunlevy and Linda Kelly won Gold by more than a minute from the other bikes. This was the third Paralympic Gold Time Trial Medal that Dunlevy has won and Kelly’s first.
The 96km Road Race was a very tactical race and the pair were pipped at the post and came away with the Silver medal.
Dunlevy said: “One Gold medal and two Silver medals with pilots McCrystal and Kelly was an incredibly successful Games, particularly after the shattered collar bone. The extra joy was having so many family and friends there able to share it with us.”