IRELAND’S MARTYN IRVINE today secured a qualification slot for the London 2012 Olympics following a seventh place finish in the Omnium event at the Track World Championships at Melbourne.
Irvine rode consistently over the two days in the six-event Omnium with five top ten finishes ensuring a high overall finish.
The Track World Championships in Melbourne marks the end of a long qualification route for Irvine, which started in Poland in November 2010 and included twelve events in total.
Irvine, a native of Ards, in Co Dowm, completed in eleven of the twelve events during qualification, taking in China, Kazakhstan, Columbia and, more recently, the Olympic Velodrome at the London World Cup.
26 year old Irvine will now return to Europe to compete in road races with his RTS Racing team before returning to his track base in Palma alongside coach Andy Sparks.
Speaking after Irvine’s qualification today, Cycling Ireland CEO Geoff Liffey spoke of his delight at the achievement, particularly as Ireland has no velodrome and Irish cyclists have very limited resources.
“This, on the back of the Bronze medal won by Caroline Ryan yesterday, demonstrates the potential for future success in track cycling in Ireland,” he said.
Ireland now have four cycling slots confirmed for the London Games with three secured for the men’s road race & time trial at the end of 2011.
