Kelly Murphy
Cycling
BIOGRAPHY
Kelly Murphy represented Ireland as part of the women’s team pursuit at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – the first time Ireland had ever qualified in the event.
The quartet of Murphy, Lara Gillespie, Mia Griffin and Alice Sharpe set a new national record of 4:12.447 in the qualifying round but finished 9th, missing the next round by just 0.242 seconds. Murphy’s Olympic journey is one of sport’s more unlikely stories. Born in Birmingham to Irish parents – her father Gerry from Roscommon and her mother Ellen from Dublin, who happened to have grown up as neighbours – she only took up cycling in her mid-twenties as a means of commuting, using a bike to cut a 90-minute public transport journey to university in half.
Two weeks after completing a PhD in brain imaging and cognitive neuroscience at Aston University, she received an unexpected call from Cycling Ireland. She has since won four Irish Time Trial titles on the road. Ireland was the only one of the ten qualifying nations without a home velodrome, with the squad doing the bulk of their training at the Cycling Ireland base in Mallorca.
OTHER CYCLING ATHLETES
CYCLING NEWS
IN THE NEWS – JUNE 2ND 2026
In another strong weekend of results, Irish athletes delivered on the world stage. Rowing: Three Medals for Ireland at World Rowing Cup I Rowing Ireland made an impressive start to the international season at World Rowing Cup I, returning from Seville with three medals and a series of strong early‑season performances across the squad. Medal [...]
IN THE NEWS – MAY 25TH 2026
In the News – Team Ireland Round‑Up 25th May 2026 Irish athletes delivered standout performances across multiple sports this week, with personal bests, podium finishes and major milestones on the international stage. Sailing A superb week in Croatia saw Eve McMahon win U23 gold and finish fourth overall at the ILCA European Championships. In the [...]
Dan Kennedy RIP
Today, a man whose guidance helped shape generations of Irish athletes, including several Olympians, was laid to rest. Dan Kennedy, known to most simply as “DK”, was far more than a PE teacher. He was a mentor, innovator, coach and trusted voice whose influence stretched quietly but profoundly across Irish sport for more than five [...]
LA28 Qualification Dates in 2026
ROAD TO LA ALREADY UNDERWAY! 2026 marks the beginning of the qualification journey for many sports as they look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. Qualifying for the Games, which take place from 14–30 July 2028, is challenging across all disciplines. Most sports require either direct qualification through specific events, qualification via [...]
Events coming up in May 2026
Athletics 2-3 May: World Athletics Relays, Gaborone, Botswana Boxing 3-10 May: Feliks Stamm Tournament, Warsaw, Poland Canoeing 29-31 May: Canoe Slalom World Cup 1, Ljubljana, Slovenia Cycling 1-3 May: Downhill & Cross-country Olympic World Series round 1, South Korea 22-24 May: Rás Tailteann, Ireland 22-24 May: Cross Country World Series, Czech Republic [...]
In The News – April 13th
A strong week for Team Ireland across multiple sports, with standout performances and important developments across the high-performance system. Golf Rory McIlroy delivered a historic back-to-back victory at The Masters Tournament, finishing on -12 to secure his sixth major title. The win further underlines his place among the greats of the game and marks a [...]