Born and raised in Melbourne, McCurley had always wanted to compete for Ireland, given her mother is from Dublin and her father from Belfast. Into running before an injury forced her to quit, she switched to track cycling with some immediate success, including a bronze medal for Ireland in the scratch race at the European under-23 track championships in Portugal in 2011. She then earned her spot in Rio at the World Championships in London back in March when, three weeks after appendix surgery, finishing fourth in the repechage. Has the potential to make a semi-final.