Shannon McCurley (born 26 April 1992) is an Australian-born Irish female track cyclist, who became the first Irish female to qualify for an Olympic track cycling event.

Shannon McCurley
McCurley at the UEC European Track Championships on 16 October 2015
Personal information
Born (1992-04-26) 26 April 1992 (age 32)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Team information
DisciplineTrack cycling
RoleRider
Rider typescratch and keirin
Medal record
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Apeldoorn Scratch

Background

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McCurley was born in Melbourne. Her father was from Belfast, and her mother from Dublin, so she had the potential to participate in sport for three countries, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Australia. She first visited Ireland in 2012.[1]

Career

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McCurley began her sports career with running but switched to cycling after some injuries and a brief try at triathlon.[1]

McCurley trains primarily in Melbourne, where she's based. She also trains with the Irish track cycling team in Majorca. Her coach is John Beasley.

She won the bronze medal in the under-23 scratch event at the 2011 European Track Championships (under-23 & junior). She competed in the scratch event at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.[2]

After some injuries, McCurley switched her focus to keirin racing in 2014 to avoid quick-start sprints and to attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was successful and, thus, became the first Irish female to qualify for an Olympic track cycling event.[3]

Career results

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2011
3rd Scratch Race, UEC European U23 Track Championships
2014
Irish International Track GP
1st Scratch Race
2nd Keirin
3rd Scratch Race, BikeNZ Cup
2015
South East Asian GP Track
2nd Keirin
2nd Keirin
3rd Sprint

References

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  1. ^ a b "Five things you don't know about Shannon McCurley". pledgesports.org. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  2. ^ "2012 Track Cycling World Championships: Entries list". tissottiming.com. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2016. MCCURLEY Shannon
  3. ^ Stokes, Shane (20 April 2016). "Velodrome project crucial to future success of Ireland's cyclists". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
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