Lydia Gurley
Cycling
BIOGRAPHY
Lydia Gurley was a travelling reserve for the Ireland women’s track cycling team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, having played a central role in qualifying Ireland for the Games.
She and Lydia Boylan won European Madison gold together in 2017 and qualified Ireland’s track cycling places at the 2020 World Championships in Berlin by finishing 11th in the women’s Madison – a physically demanding race during which Boylan was brought down in a crash but both riders remounted to secure the quota spot.
When it came to the Games themselves, Cycling Ireland selected Shannon McCurley and Emily Kay for the women’s Madison, with Gurley travelling to Tokyo as reserve. Gurley was born in Athenry, Co. Galway and spent part of her childhood in Brunei and Canada before returning to Athenry, then relocating to Canada for university, where she completed a Masters degree at the University of British Columbia. She only took up cycling aged 25 in 2010, initially through triathlons. She won two World Cup events in 2017 and 2019 and had put a PhD in renewable energy at the University of Birmingham on hold to cycle full-time.
She retired after Tokyo.
OTHER CYCLING ATHLETES
CYCLING NEWS
In The News – July 6th 2026
Irish athletes continued to make their mark on the international stage this week, with a junior world title in canoe sprint, a first international medal for diver Jake Passmore, and major victories in cycling and show jumping highlighting another impressive period of success across multiple sports. Sean Butterly Crowned Junior World Champion in Halifax Ireland [...]
Performance Round Up – June 2026
Athletics Mark English finished second in a high-quality men’s 800m field at the Rome Diamond League. The Donegal athlete clocked a season’s best time of 1:43.80, his second fastest ever over the distance, as he closed strongly in the final metres to challenge for victory. Sarah Healy delivered a personal best time of 14:48.88 in [...]
Events Coming Up in July
Athletics Eugene Diamond League - July 4th Cork City Sports - July 8th Morton Games - July 10th Monaco Diamond League - July 10th Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix - July 14th London Diamond League - July 18th National Senior Track and Field Championships - July 25th & 26th Badminton Japan Open World Tour 750 [...]
PERFORMANCE ROUND UP – May 2026
A Month of Milestones, Momentum and Major Performances Team Ireland athletes delivered a powerful run of results across May and early June, producing historic wins, breakthrough performances and consistent podium finishes on the world stage. From Diamond League history in Shanghai to Nations Cup victory in Italy, and from European medals on the water to [...]
In The News – June 8th 2026
Strong Irish Performances in Rome as English and Healy Impress, Gillespie Makes Cycling History Irish athletes produced a series of standout performances across athletics and cycling this week, with Mark English and Sarah Healy delivering impressive runs at the Rome Diamond League, while Lara Gillespie achieved a historic milestone on the roads of Italy. Mark [...]
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 [...]