Ireland’s Medal Tally Hits Three with Silver at Track Cycling World Cup in Cali, Colombia
![](/Uploads/Eoin_Mullen_Sprint_Cali_2017.jpg)
![](/Uploads/Lydia_Gurley_Points_Cali_2017.jpg)
“That was definitely a nail biter! Everything was running smoothly and when we made the first move David gave the signal and we settled into the rhythm at 70 laps and got the lap with the Danes – they were strong! Then Felix made a move with 17 laps to go – I was totally spent! But it seems to be everyone else was ten times worse than us so we caught the bunch four laps from the finish, and the Danes caught the bunch with two laps to go! That pushed us down to second – I’m pretty sure the Irish fans enjoyed that one as much as we did!”
This is Downey’s second medal of the weekend, after winning gold in the Points Race on Friday night (local time), and his pairing with English has been a revelation:
“I really enjoyed the moment with Felix. He was super out there tonight – World Class! He deserves this as we’ve worked just as hard as each other, and like I’ve said from the start, it’s only the beginning. Special thanks to David, past world champion in this event, he was our eyes and ears out there, and has been there for us the past year and a half. I hope he enjoys this moment – he’s a great guy.”
English was equally delighted with the result – having come agonisingly close to medals over the past few years:
“Finally! I think I’ve had five fourth places at major competitions at this stage! It was even better to do it with Mark – we are both pretty competitive with each other so we train like absolute mad men! And this is our Olympic event for 2020 too.”
This was the final day of racing at the Track World Cup in Cali, with Downey summing up the weekend well:
“A positive vibe is a positive team – that’s what produces great results. Thanks so much to everyone – Cycling Ireland is on the rise!”
Next up for the Irish Team is the final round of the World Cup Series which takes place in Los Angeles, USA next weekend - competition runs from Saturday 25th February to Sunday 26th February 2017.
Day | Event | Athlete | RESULTS |
17th Feb
| Women’s Omnium Men’s Points 30km (Q 15km) | Lydia Boylan Mark Downey | 6th 1st - GOLD |
18th Feb
| Men’s Keirin Women’s Scratch 10km (Q 5km) | Eoin Mullen Lydia Gurley | DNF 3rd – BRONZE |
19th Feb
| Women’s Points 20km (Q 10km) Men’s Sprint Men’s Madison 30km Men’s Madison 30km | Lydia Gurley Eoin Mullen Felix English Mark Downey | 20th 27th 2nd – SILVER 2nd – SILVER |