Cycling

Ronan Grimes takes silver in C4 individual pursuit at Paracycling Track World Championships

‘I thought silver would be the best that I ever thought I could get and to come away with it is a great feeling’

Ronan Grimes in action during the individual pursuit final at the Paracycling Track World Championships in Paris. Photograph: Cycling Ireland
Ronan Grimes in action during the individual pursuit final at the Paracycling Track World Championships in Paris. Photograph: Cycling Ireland
Shane Stokes
Thu Oct 20 2022 - 21:09

Ronan Grimes enjoyed a superb showing in the individual pursuit at the Paracycling Track World Championships on Thursday, taking the silver medal in the C4 class in Paris.

Grimes qualified second-fastest out of 17 riders to then square off against the Slovakian competitor Josef Metelka in Thursday evening’s final.

The Irishman had qualified in a time 9.274 seconds off Metelka and upped his game in the final, conceding less than six seconds to the pursuit specialist.

Ronan Grimes with his silver medal after the final of individual pursuit at the Paracycling Track World Championships in Paris. Photograph: Cycling Ireland
Ronan Grimes with his silver medal after the final of individual pursuit at the Paracycling Track World Championships in Paris. Photograph: Cycling Ireland

“I’m delighted really,” the Athenry rider said. “Today in the individual pursuit, I thought silver would be the best that I ever thought I could get and to come away with it is a great feeling.”

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Earlier Grimes set a new national record in placing seventh in the flying 200-metres time-trial. Both events are part of the four-race Omnium competition, which he is targeting at the Games. He also won the European and world C4 road-race championships earlier this season. 

Two other Irish riders were in action in the 200-metres time-trial on Thursday morning. Chris Burns clocked a time of 12.078 seconds in the MC2 category and Richael Timothy set a mark of 13.377 seconds in WC3 class, both also new national records. Their times saw them place third in those categories.

Timothy also competed in the 500-metres time-trial in the afternoon, once again breaking the national record for the WC3 class. Her time of 42.066 seconds was sixth fastest and put her through to the evening final where she finished sixth.

“I had the 200 [flying 200m] this morning which is part of the omnium so it was good to get a good position in that,” she said. “And then the 500 [time-trial)]as well, a PB and national record, so it was all I could’ve really done.”

Paralympic champions Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal are scheduled to compete in the tandem 3km individual pursuit on Friday, while the pairings of Martin Gordon and Eoin Mullen plus Damien Vereker and Marcin Mizgajski will line out on the 1km tandem time-trial. Dunlevy told The Irish Times on Wednesday that she was feeling unwell but is hoping to recover in time for Friday’s race.

Grimes and Timothy will compete in the MC4 and WC3 scratch races respectively.