Pedalling his way to European and World track finals

FOLLOWING the retirement of Mayo’s David O’Loughlin from the International Track Cycling team recently, enthusiasts of the sport may be wondering just who will fill the void left by the former World Cup medallist? One answer may be Galway teenager, Eoin Mullen.

Having posted a new national record for the Flying Start 200 metres at the National Track Championships in July of this year, 17-year-old Mullen was so close to doing the same – missing out by just six-hundreds of a second – in the 500m discipline at the Leinster Track Championships in September.

Indeed, that 500m time of 36.84 was the fastest of the day and, to put this time into perspective, if the Aran Islands native posted that time just one year previous, it would have been a new national senior outdoor record. As it is, Planet X’s Martin Irvine (36.23) currently boasts of that honour.

With another year left in the junior ranks, though, there is no denying Mullen’s potential. Again, this was underlined back in early July when he was part of a 10-rider Irish Track Development team that took part in the Dudley Grand Prix at the Manor Abbey Stadium in Halesowen, England.

Up against the cream of British sprinters, Mullen qualified in 12th place – in a time of 12.73 – for the latter stages of the competition . . . and this was seen as a major result for the Irish team. Mullen began to grow in confidence thereafter and despite being drawn against the likes of Callum Skinner (Edinburgh RC) – who set the fastest 200m time of 11.67 – he finished in third place going into the repecharge.This pitted him against local sprinter Jim Varnish (HA & CC) and Rowan Elliot (VC St. Raphael) and while these two engaged in a game of cat and mouse with each other, Mullen launched his offensive right before the bell. Unfortunately, he was just caught on the line by Varnish, but Mullen still finished in a creditable seventh place overall.

Now back in secondary school after his season’s endeavours – he attends Kings Hospital in Dublin, alongside his sister Michelle and brother Aonghus – Mullen is satisfied with his progress over 2010, but acknowledges there is still work to be done to take his game to the next level.

“Yeah, I posted some good times this year,” says the Inis Mór teenager. “I am the national junior record holder for the 200m sprint (12.41) and I just missed out on the 500m record by six hundredths of a second. I suppose, I still have a year left at junior, so I would be hoping to improve on my times next year. I would also like to think that I can make it to the European and, maybe, even the World Championships next year. It will all depend on my times though.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.