IRELAND’S MARTYN IRVINE finished third to secure a bronze medal at the Track Cycling European Championship in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands today.
Irvine finished behind Russia’s Viktor Manakov, who took gold and Dutchman Tim Veldt, who came second.
The medal is Irvine’s first in the Omnium, which is an Olympic discipline. He is already a World Champion in the Scratch Race, but has focused on this new discipline in recent months.
The achievement is particularly impressive, given that he has only recently recovered from a fractured hip.
His coach Brian Nugent commended Irvine on his achievement, saying: “It’s remarkable how Martyn has fought to come back [to perform so well], all credit to him. He has worked hard with the squad over the past month in Majorca, going to races in Aigle and Gent, then he was unlucky to get sick last week.
“He was disappointed with the Points Race on Friday, so just took it as him opening the system. In the Omnium on Saturday and Sunday he was back in form. We are over the moon with the medal, Martyn is over the moon.”
Meanwhile, Irvine’s fellow Irish competitors, Caroline Ryan and Eoin Mullen, also performed well. Ryan finished 10th in the Omnium, while Mullen qualified for the match sprint rounds in the sprint event.
