JB Murphy launches attack to secure bronze at European championships

Ireland's JB Murphy has followed on from his aggressive fifth place in Wednesday's points race at the European track championships in Grenchen, Switzerland to go two places better, scooping a superb bronze medal in the scratch race.

The event was won by the Portuguese rider Rui Oliveira who lapped the bunch during the 60-lap contest. The Dutch rider Vincent Hoppezak also did the same but with Oliveira finishing in front of him, he secured gold. Murphy launched a perfectly-timed solo move with seven laps to go and gained over half a lap over the bunch. He fended off the chasers all the way to the line, taking the bronze medal.

The result follows on from the Irish women’s bronze in Wednesday evening’s team pursuit, and is the best result of Murphy’s elite senior career.

As a junior rider, he took a silver medal in the elimination race at the European Track Championships in Anadia, Portugal in July 2017. Amazingly, it was his first time ever racing in a velodrome. He went on to take third in the points race at the junior world championships in August of that year, and was fourth in the men’s scratch race at the European under-23 championships in 2019.

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Meanwhile, one of the bronze medallists in the team pursuit, Emily Kay, was competing in the women's omnium on Thursday. Perhaps feeling the fatigue of the three rounds of the pursuit event on Tuesday and Wednesday, she was off her usual level in the first three of the four events. She placed 14th in the scratch race, 18th in the tempo race and 15th in the elimination racer and seventh in the points race. She finished 16th overall.

Four Irish riders will be in action on Friday. Murphy competes in the four-event men's omnium, Kelly Murphy and Mia Griffin will each race the women's individual pursuit and Alice Sharpe will contest the women's points race.