EVE MCCRYSTAL AND KATIE GEORGE DUNLEVY
Eve McCrystal and Katie Gorge Dunlevy are Ireland’s most successful female Paralympic athletes.
Dunlevy was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at the age of 11 and is registered blind. The pair came together on the bike in 2012 and, after winning Time Trial Gold in the Rio Paralympic Games, they repeated that in Tokyo and added another Gold in the Road race and Silver in the Individual Pursuit.
They also won Time Trial Gold at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Championships, and in the Road Race in 2017 and 2018.
McCrystal only came fully to the sport as a sighted pilot in 2012, as a mother of two daughters, and still works as a serving member of An Garda SÃochána.
During the lockdown period, Dunlevy travelled from England when allowed, and trained for part of the time while living with the Dunlevy family in Dundalk. Their bond is as close as any pair of athletes we have ever had the pleasure to meet and they are an inspirational example of the potential for second chapters, and for returning to high-level sporting activity after motherhood.
This is their first time appearing on our 50 Women of Influence List
Check out the others who have so far joined the list right here.
This is the ninth edition of our Sport for Business listing of 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport.
We are proud to do so this year with a new partner in AIG, an organisation that have pledged their commitment to equality in their partnerships with Gaelic Games, Tennis, Golf and more, for whom “Effort is Equal” and with whom we have ambitious plans to extend the reach of this annual celebration of the Women who are making a difference.
They are drawn as before from the worlds of leadership, partnership, storytelling and performance.
We began this journey in 2013 when challenged that we would never be able to produce a list of twenty Influential Women in Irish Sport. The 20 stretched to 30, then 40 and 50 and it still does not do justice to the talent that is out there.
This year once more, to keep things fresh we will introduce at least 30 per cent of fresh names from last year. That will be the hardest part to have some names replaced but if it was too easy it would be of less value.
The list we will build over the coming weeks is a snapshot of those women who are making a mark on how sport is played, consumed, grown and delivered.
They are part of making the role of women in sport unexceptional by being exceptional in what they do.
Recognition of their contribution is rarely asked for but is fully deserved, and we want your help in identifying those who you feel should be among them.
We will start to publish the first of this year’s list on Sport for Business next week, and share them for all across social media in parallel.
So, who do you think should be on the list for 2021?
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