It was one of the more unexpected victory stories of the Irish sporting summer but on Saturday, Olympic Sailing silver medallist Annalise Murphy take victory in the women’s scratch race at the Dublin Track Cycling Invitational at Sundrive Park, breaking away from the main bunch with two laps to go.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist sailor has regularly competed in road cycling events in recent years, but impressed many after her clever attack left the chasers with too much to do before Murphy crossed the line.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” she said after the race.
“I only started on the track only two months ago, so this is my first-ever race. I was trying not to disturb anyone or anything.”
“I know I’ve good power, but I don’t know exactly when to use it but each lap I was learning what was happening.”
“With two laps to go I just thought I’d go for it and see what happens. I guess I was lucky, I got a gap on the girls and the last lap was so hard – I didn’t know how I was going to hold on.”
Hold on she did though with Junior World Championship bronze medallist and 2020 National Road Race Champion Lara Gillespie in second.
Murphy is part of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athlete’s Commission and while never formally retiring from sailing has no plans to go back to the Games after competing in London, Rio and Tokyo. At least not on the water…
