Scott Orwell Wheelers sensation Lara Gillespie has added a gold medal to the silver won on Thursday at the European Junior Track Championships in Aigle, Switzerland!
FROM THE42.ie:
LARA GILLESPIE further underlined her prodigious talent by adding gold at the European junior championship to her growing collection of national and international titles.
Days after claiming silver in the individual pursuit event, the 17-year-old produced another extraordinary performance in Switzerland to see off Ukrainian Olha Kulynych and Poland’s Marta Jaskulska in a thrilling final sprint.
Gillespie was last month crowned junior women’s champion at the Irish road race championships, and earlier this year claimed four gold medals at the Irish junior track championships to hold 11 national titles across track, road and cyclocross.
The Wicklow native rides for Scott-Orwell Wheelers and having dominated the Irish youth ranks, showed her huge potential by winning silver at the European Youth Olympics last summer.
Although she narrowly missed out on a medal in yesterday’s Omnium event at the European championships, Gillespie — a student of Wesley College in Dublin — set a new Irish record en route to silver in the pursuit ride on Thursday.
QUOTES FROM RTE NEWS:
"Once I knew I was on equal points I put my head down and decided to just go for it," said the overjoyed Gillespie.
"I was trying to do everything right and I didn’t want anything to stop me from winning. I was ecstatic when I knew I had won.
"I was so proud standing up on the podium and actually getting to hear the Irish anthem. I was so happy."
FROM THE IRISH TIMES:
Two days after she took a silver medal in the individual pursuit at the European junior championships, Ireland’s Lara Gillespie went one better on Saturday, taking gold in the points race in Switzerland.
The 17-year-old rode strongly throughout the event in Aigle. She took two sprints during the contest and while the Ukrainian Olha Kulynych gained a lap and secured 20 points, Gillespie responded by winning the final sprint, taking gold ahead of Kulynych and the Polish rider Marta Jaskulska.
The showing is a superb achievement for the young Irishwoman, and adds to that silver medal in the pursuit, as well as another strong result at the championships. She narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in Friday’s Omnium, taking fourth despite crashing.
Gillespie’s pursuit ride on Thursday saw her set a new Irish record of two minutes 21.8 seconds for the two kilometre distance. Vittoria Guazzini (Italy) took gold.
The Irish junior road race champion’s achievements are all the more remarkable as Ireland doesn’t currently have an indoor track.
Sunday 26th Update:
Lara and Gabby Horner competed in the Madison this morning finishing in 4th place. That makes this weeks haul for Lara 2 x 4th place, 1 x Silver and 1 x Gold.
Congratulations Lara - the entire club is extremely proud of your achievements. You competed with such determination, such grit and fighting spirit and always while smiling.
Now enjoy some rest:)
