There was no stopping Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly when defending their tandem time trial title at the UCI Para-cycling World Championships in Belgium as the Irish duo dominated the 23.2km test through the city streets of Ronse on Friday.
Despite the testing windy conditions, in the end Dunlevy and Kelly had just over a half a minute to spare on their old rivals, the British duo of Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl, winning the gold medal in the B class and the coveted rainbow jerseys in a time of 30:04.60.
Unwin and Holl, the Commonwealth Games champions in the event, won silver in 30:35.74, with Anne Sophie Centis and Lara Lallemant from France winning bronze in 31:48.23
The Irish duo have already won both a Paralympic gold in the time trial and a double World Championship time trial and road gold in what was a landmark year in 2024, in addition to a World Championship time trial won in 2023.
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“It’s always hard after an Olympic year, you never know how you’re going to go the following year,” said a delighted Dunlevy. “Maybe there’s no pressure, but then we always put pressure on ourselves. We just want to win, and we just want to be best.
“We also train hard for it as well, so we’re thrilled to get another win, and ahead of the Commonwealth champions. It means so much, and great support around us, which helps as well. And to have each other’s support.”
In all it was Dunlevy’s sixth World Championship medal in the time trial, and third won with her pilot Kelly. Dunlevy previously won world titles with pilot Eve McCrystal.
Dunlevy and Kelly will now defend their road race title on Sunday and all the indications are that another gold medal is on the cards. Dunlevy first won gold in that event back in 2017, with her success in Belgium further underling her status as Ireland’s most successful female Paralympic athlete.
Now 43, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa aged 11, and is registered blind. She previously competed in Para Rowing for Britain before switching international allegiance to Ireland. In Paris last summer, she won her third successive gold in the women’s B time trial, with Kelly, finishing over a minute ahead of the same British pair of Unwin and Holl.
She also won two silver medals in Paris last summer, pipped for gold in the individual pursuit on the track, when along with McCrystal she had to be content with silver behind Unwin and Holl. She also won silver in the road race behind the same British duo.
Damien Vereker and Mitchell McLaughlin also went in the men’s tandem, finishing seventh, 2:12 down on the gold medal winners DE Elie de Carvalho and Mickae Guichard from France.
Later on Friday, Richael Timothy went in the WC3 class time trial, finishing 10th. Cormac O’Callaghan also returned to World Championship action, riding in the MC1 class time trial and finishing 12th. Both Irish riders will also compete in the road race on Sunday.
