Despite numerous setbacks Katie George Dunlevy and her pilots claimed 5 Paralympic and World Championship medals. Dunlevy’s new pilot, Wexford woman Linda Kelly, played a key role in amazing year…
Latie-George Dunlevy, Ireland’s most decorated Irish Paralympic athlete, and her pilots Linda Kelly and Eve McCrystal claimed the ‘Team of the Year Award’ at The Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year Awards 2024 which took place in Dublin recently.
The trio won the Award for their outstanding achievements at the Paralympics and World Championships in 2024.
In an amazing year Dunlevy amassed 5 Paralympic and World Championship medals. In Paris, she won a gold and silver with new pilot Kelly who is from New Ross, as well as a silver with long-time partner McCrystal before going on to win two gold at the World Championships in Zurich with Kelly.
For a group of athletes to achieve what this trio did in ordinary circumstances would be remarkable. The fact that Dunlevy and her pilots achieved these results in a year in which they suffered a litany of setbacks including multiple crashes, injuries and illnesses is barely believable.
In early May, Dunlevy and Kelly crashed during a World Cup race in Belgium, Dunlevy left badly bruised and with an injured hand, but Kelly sustained a concussion that ruled her out of action for a spell.
Eve McCrystal then stepped in to pilot Dunlevy in another World Cup race in Italy 10 days later. They also crashed, but with Paralympic qualifying points at stake, the pair got back on their bike and managed a fourth-place finish despite Dunlevy being in agony. It was only later when she was X-rayed that she learned she had broken her collarbone.
Lying on her hospital bed, Dunlevy, who’s based in Crawley in the UK, put any thoughts that she wouldn’t be able to participate in Paris out of her head. She then flew back to Dublin, had her operation and six days later was back on her bike, albeit using just one arm.
But that was just for starters. In all Dunlevy and Kelly had five crashes through the year, Kelly had Covid twice, and also had to endure a leg infection. D
unlevy had an arm infection, and, on the eve of the Paralympics, picked up a virus which left her in bed in the athletes’ village for three days. And just before the World Championships she tested positive for Covid.
But as Dunlevy explained, they were able to take all these setbacks in their stride:
“You know, I’ve had many challenges growing up and had lots of knock-backs, and I’ve been learning to live with sight loss all my life, so I think that just made me very resilient. A broken collarbone and illness? I was like, ‘oh, I’ve gone through much worse than this. And Linda had huge challenges this year too….we had to be there for each other and support each other which we did.”
Her success with Kelly this year has been remarkable, and Dunlevy paid tribute to the Wexford woman’s contribution to a medal-laden year. At the Awards Kelly described Dunlevy as an inspiration whom she had watched with awe at the Tokyo Paralympics. She said she couldn’t believe that she was now cycling with her and enjoying the success they have had.
Dunlvey also paid tribute to her long-time partner McCrystal from Co Louth, who partnered with her for the B3,000m individual pursuit in Paris. It was McCrystal’s last Paralympics, so it was to be their final race together after a glittering decade of success.
“We have so many amazing memories. My first medal was with Eve in 2014 and my first Paralympic medal was with her in 2016……We had our challenging times, cycling is such a tough sport and tandem racing adds more challenges. But it’s an amazing sport – having a Paralympic athlete, a disabled athlete, racing and training with able-bodied athlete is something really special. It was a great end to our partnership and to the time we’ve had together.”
After the World Championships Dunlevy and Kelly were given a wonderful homecoming in her father’s native Mountcharles in Donegal. The duo also visited 10 schools in the surrounding area. Further celebrations followed in her hometown of Crawley. Now 43, Dunlevy says she will carry on next year before making any decisions about LA 2028.
For more information about the Awards and the other award winners, you can check out: https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sportswoman-of-the-year-award/
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
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