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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
David O�Loughlin gets his Olympic campaign underway today when he lines out in the qualification round of the individual pursuit in Beijing. The Mayo rider is up against former world champion Bradley McGee, and both will be hoping for a good time in the race.
The placings there will determine which riders go through to the final eight, and how they are paired off for tomorrow�s first round. The two quickest riders there will then fight it out for gold in the evening session, with the next two going against each other in the scrap for bronze.
Team manager Frank Campbell was optimistic when he spoke to Irishcycling.com. �We are very pleased with how his preparation has gone and David is very happy with his form,� he stated yesterday. �We think he is in at least the same shape as he was in in Manchester, although we are hoping he�s even better than that. We have got him some new equipment as well which should give him a boost.
�He�s up against Bradley McGee in the qualifiers. We are actually happy with that, hopefully both of them will get through to the next round.�
O�Loughlin has broken the Irish record several times since making his track debut, setting an initial standard of 4 minutes 29.9 seconds back in September of 2006. The most recent improvement was an excellent 4 minutes 20.91 seconds, a full 4.4 seconds faster than the previous national record he set during the Beijing World Cup on December 7th 2007.
This took place during the world track championships in Manchester in March, and saw him finish an excellent sixth overall.
Campbell says this is the target in Beijing. �We�d be happy if he equals what he did in the worlds, taking a top six place. Anything more than that would be excellent.�
If O�Loughlin performs strongly in Beijing, he can head away content that he is continuing to improve. While this Olympic Games has probably come too soon for him to medal, his ride in the world championships earlier this year suggests that with another season under his belt, he could well challenge for a medal in the worlds.
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