Louth's Eve McCrystal: Gearing Up For Her Fourth Paralympic Games in Paris

With the Paris Olympics just over, the French capital is gearing up for another invasion of athletes and spectators from across the globe descending on the city for the 2024 Paralympic Games which runs from August 28 to September 8. Among those representing Ireland will be Louth’s Eve McCrystal, taking part in her fourth Paralympics, who acts as the sighted pilot in the Women's Tandem events on both the road and track, for visually impaired cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy.

McCrystal’s list of cycling success is an embarrassment of riches: a Gold and Silver medallist in the time trial B event and road race respectively at the 2016 Summer Paralympics; a double World Champion at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in 2017 and 2018; the National Time Trial holder in 2020; a Gold medal winner at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games in both the road race and time trial respectively as well as a Silver in the 3k pursuit to add to two Silvers at the 2021 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships road race and time trial; Gold in the 2022 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships road race and Silver in the time trial; and Bronze at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championship Individual Pursuit.

McCrystal and Dunleavy will take part in four events, two on the track and two on the road. In the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, 48km to the west of Paris, the Irish pair will race in the Women’s B 1000m Time Trial and the B 3000M Individual Pursuit. The Road Racing takes place in the town of Clichy-sous-Bois in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, 19km to the west of Paris where the duo will compete in the B Time Trial and the B Road Race.

The Road to Paris

After sweeping the paracycling road events with pilot Eve McCrystal in Tokyo, Dunlevy shows no signs of slowing down, even at age 42. Through her exploits in Tokyo three years ago, Dunlevy made breakfast rather enjoyable across Ireland. Viewers across the country saw her and pilot Eve McCrystal sweep both Class B road events at Fuji International Speedway and deliver some winning wake-up calls. In the time trial event, they covered the field to win a second straight gold medal. Four days later, they plowed through the rain to win the road race and get revenge on a British tandem that had beaten them by inches to win the UCI world road race title two months before the Paralympics. Add a silver earlier in the Games at the velodrome in the 3000-meter individual pursuit event, and you had a medal haul for an athlete who found new life in a second elite sport, in a second country.

Dunlevy’s resilience will be tested again as she competes on the track and the road next week. McCrystal stepped away from active competition in 2022, citing that she couldn’t give full commitment to run at 2024. Linda Kelly was Dunlevy’s pilot heading into the 2024 season and the final chance to qualify for Paris. A crash at a UCI World Cup event in Belgium in May scratched Kelly for competition. With the next World Cup race ahead in Italy, and needing every UCI point possible to get in the Paralympics, the winning band from Tokyo got back together as McCrystal returned as pilot. Dunlevy was second in the time trial, but in the road race with the team in position to secure the points, there was a second crash. Dunlevy suffered a broken collarbone, but refused to quit the race.

A Second Chance

“She is one tough cookie — the fight that was in her was something I’ve never seen,” McCrystal stated to Paralympics Ireland after the event. “Katie is next level, hats off to her. This is why she is a double Paralympic champion and multiple world champion. I’m sure by the weekend, she will be back on the turbo resting her arm on the ironing board and working towards our shared goal.” Dunlevy is slated for a busy Paralympics. She will compete in the 1000-meter time trial and 3000-meter individual pursuit in the velodrome, in addition to defending both Paralympic titles on the road. If past performance is any indication, she’ll be in the middle of the fight for the podium.

The Road Less Traveled

Katie-George Dunlevy was born in Crawley, United Kingdom. At age 11, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition that greatly degrades eyesight over time. Dunlevy is classified as legally blind, but it hasn’t slowed her drive in competitive sports. Growing up, she was capable in cross country and swimming, but found a sweet spot in pararowing, including a spot on Great Britain’s rowing team. She was twice a world champion in a boat in 2004 and 2005.

After seven years competing for Britain, she had ambitions to compete for Ireland, the nation that her father is from. In 2011, she was in a training camp for rowing for Ireland when she was approached by Cycling Ireland. Seeing her potential, they invited her to trade oars for pedals. She began her cycling career thrown in at the deep end of her new sport. “I came to Dublin to do a ramp test and I had to borrow a pair of shoes and they wanted to send me and my pilot at the time, who had never raced tandem, to represent Ireland in six weeks’ time at the world championships,” she recalled to On The Ball Sports. “I had six weeks’ time to learn how to ride a tandem and then race it.” Dunlevy learned quickly and in 2013, McCrystal became her pilot. In 2014, the tandem won silver in the road race at UCI Worlds, and have been consistently earning precious metal since on the road and on the track.

A Medal Haul

She has six UCI world championship titles to her name, including sweeping the road events in 2017 and 2018. She has five Paralympic medals in her career as well. Dunlevy discussed her coming out journey in an interview with ESPN in 2021. “I came out at the age of 29 and it ended up being positive for me, but until then I was in denial and hiding it for years. It was only until my relationship was serious that I told my family. But everyone has been fantastic, it was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and I was able to be who I am.” Dunlevy has been an inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community and other athletes with disabilities, showing that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.

The Irish Tandem's Race Schedule

Here is the race schedule for McCrystal and Dunlevy:

August 30 (Day 2): Women’s B 1000M TT (Track - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome): Qualifying: 1.12pm, Final: 3.34pm (GMT)
September 1 (Day 4): Women’s B3000m Individual Pursuit (Track - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome): Qualifying: 10.22am, Final: 1.31pm (GMT)
September 4 (Day 7): Women’s B Time Trial (Road- Clichy-sous-Bois): 7am-5pm
September 6 (Day 9): Women’s B Road Race (Road - Clichy-sous-Bois) 8.30am-3.50pm

McCrystal and Dunleavy are a force to be reckoned with and are sure to make Ireland proud at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Their journey is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and the importance of embracing who you are. The duo will be aiming to add to their impressive medal haul and inspire a new generation of athletes. As they prepare for their fourth Paralympic Games, McCrystal and Dunlevy are ready to leave their mark on the world stage.