Team Ireland has secured it’s first gold medal of the Paris Paralympics with the help of Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly pedaling to a phenomenal win.
The pair beat out their competitors in the 28.3km road time trial on their tandem bike, marking a third consecutive Paralympic win in the category for Dunleavy.
The 42-year-old star athlete boasts a whopping seven medals from the Games over the years. Joining the reigning champion was Linda Kelly who piloted the bike in what is her debut at the competition.
Speaking to RTE after their win, Katie said that she thinks they ‘delivered a really good ride’. The Paralympic veteran gushed over her new teammate, saying she is ‘so proud of her’. ‘She has done so well. She had pressure to deliver today and I believed in her every pedal stroke’.
The pair have had to overcome their fair share of adversity this year, with Katie breaking her collarbone, while Linda, who began training with Katie last year, suffered a concussion back in May.
‘It’s just magical… it’s going to take a while to sink in, I’m just so happy’, the first time Paralympic winner smiled, adding that her teammate is ‘an inspiration’ to her.
Team Ireland have racked up an impressive five medals at the prestigious Games so far this year, after Róisín Ní Riain and Orla Comerford‘s double bronze win on Tuesday night. Katie pointed out that all of medals secured for Team Ireland in Paris so far have been won by visually impaired women.
The pro-athlete already boasts a Paris 2024 medal under her belt, having won silver on Monday alongside her teammate Eve McCrystal.
Róisín Ní Riain has scooped up two medals for the country this year, at just 19 years old. The swimmer won silver on Friday, before securing a bronze medal on Tuesday night. Sprinter Orla Comerford placed in third minutes after Róisín’s success on Tuesday, in a great moment for Irish women’s sport.
Katie-George left RTE viewers with a sweet message, saying: ‘If there is any child at home that is visually impaired hopefully they can take inspiration from us… that they can believe in anything and can achieve’.