Lara Gillespie has ended her track world championship campaign on a high note, taking a fine bronze medal in the points race.
The Enniskerry rider clocked up 39 points, just four off the total of gold medallist Julie Leth (Denmark) and only one point behind Lotte Kopecky of Belgium, arguably the biggest woman star in the sport.
Gillespie previously won European points race titles as a junior and under-23 rider in 2018 and 2023 respectively.
“I am so relieved with this medal because I knew I could do it,” she said on Sunday. “I have the legs and every time I’m racing I’m getting closer and closer.
“This medal means a lot to me and I’m so proud to do it for Ireland. We have a small but mighty team and all of us and the staff have put so much effort this year prepared for the Olympics and for our performance and development.
“I felt my coaches and everyone here believed in me and that really drove me on the extra bit. I’m very grateful.”
Still just 23 years of age, Gillespie is one of the best young Irish riders in the sport.
She was part of the team pursuit squad which became the first from Ireland to quality for the Olympic Games, and which shattered the national record en route to ninth in the competition. She was also tenth in the Omnium there.
Gillespie was one of several Irish riders competing in the track world championships in Denmark. She was fifth in the elimination race on Thursday and then eighth in the multi-discipline Omnium competition on Friday.
She teamed up with Mia Griffin in the Madison race on Saturday, placing seventh.
Lucy Bénézet Minns was the third member of Ireland’s world championships squad in Denmark. She is still a junior rider but finished 16th in the women’s individual pursuit on Saturday.
Gillespie will exit the championships on a high after her achievements. In addition to being a highly promising track talent, she has plenty of potential in road racing. She won two stages plus the general classification in the Giro Mediterraneo Rosa in April and then sprinted to victory in the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies race in May.
She was competing as part of the UAE Development Team but her results secured a rare midseason transfer. Gillespie stepped up to the WorldTour level in June when offered a contract by UAE Team ADQ, and recently took placings of fifth and seventh on stages in the Simac Ladies Tour.
She will compete with that team until at least the end of the 2026 season.
