RAW EMOTION. THE highest of highs as one of the most iconic partnerships in Irish sport comes to fairytale close.
Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal are guaranteed a sixth Paralympic medal after qualifying for the gold-medal final in the Women’s B 3000m individual pursuit.
Their safe passage was sealed amidst chaotic drama. France were disqualified, and when the third Great Britain tandem crossed the line in a slower time than their 3:20.481, Dunlevy and McCrystal shared a lovely moment of celebration having cooled down on the stationary bikes.
The stuff of dreams.
One Last Dance, one more podium for a glittering pairing which stretches back to late 2013 and has yielded a plethora of medals.
The retiring McCrystal was in tears afterwards, with four-time Paralympian Dunlevy taking the lead in an emotional interview.
“We’re just in shock. We had a lot of pressure entering that race, we don’t have a lot of track time compared to the others, we knew we were up against the three GB bikes there. I think we did the best ride of our lives.
“We actually did it, we can’t believe we are in that gold-silver ride off.
“It was the most nervous she has ever been and I was very nervous as well. I’m so proud of us both.”
Both athletes have had hugely challenging build-ups. Dunlevy shattered her collarbone and required surgery after her second crash in quick succession in May, while she was sick with a virus in the build-up to her fourth Games.
There has been more.
“This morning, she woke up and said, ‘I’m not feeling great,’” McCrystal chimes in.
“As a pilot I was like, however shit I feel as a tandem pairing you have to take each other’s shit, so to speak. We’ve always backed each other. If I’m injured, she’s injured — the other one will always give that 10% that you’d never have ordinarily. Today is probably the most nervous I have ever been in my whole entire life.
“It’s just 10 years, like. It’s just the kids and work, I’m a single mother, it’s been fucking hard. I lost my father and it’s just all… I think I just kept grief and everything in. To retire… I can retire now so fucking proud. I’m so emotional.”
She laughs through the tears.
“I’m the fucking strong one in this relationship. I’m the bitch in this relationship!”
Dunlevy smiles.
“Being emotional is strength I think and if someone is down we’ll pick each other up,” the 42-year-old four-time Paralympian says.
“I wasn’t feeling great but i said to Eve, ‘No I’m fine,’ and I didn’t tell anyone else I wasn’t feeling great. I’m an optimistic person, I think mental strength is a big thing.”
“You’ve to do more with your mental strength sometimes than with your body,” she adds, after McCrystal calls the vision-impaired cyclist “the toughest person ever”.
Regardless of the colour of medal, this will be an incredibly special finish. They will race again on the road separately. But this is it for the iconic duo, as they look to upgrade on their silver in this event at Tokyo 2020.
They face Great Britain’s Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl at 1.41pm Irish time, who set a world record of 3:17.643 before them.
Relax, refocus, and go again. For Gold.
McCrystal’s daughters, 16-year-old Ava and 14-year-old Nessa at the velodrome watching on at their first Games. Dunlevy’s parents, Alana and John, and cousins are here too. They’ll roar them all the way.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is gold or silver but we will get in that start gate ready to get gold,” McCrystal says, Dunlevy nodding beside her, “but if we don’t get it, it doesn’t matter and that’s the difference. That doesn’t mean we are going to settle for silver.”
“Sport can be so tough and we have been fourth so many times, it can be really hard,” Dunlevy adds.
“To come away from the Paralympics with a medal, we are over the moon. Words actually can’t explain it.”
They just did.
