Cycling Ireland has announced the appointment of Marcin (or ‘Martin’) Mizgajski as new High-Performance Para-cycling Development Coach.
The role, co-funded by and in partnership with Paralympics Ireland, will strengthen our High Performance (HP) Pathway for aspiring riders to reach elite Championship level competitiveness in the Los Angeles Paralympic Cycle and beyond.
Mizgajski brings a wealth of experience to the role, including his role as tandem pilot with the Irish national team across two Paralympic cycles and his experience working in the health and fitness industry.
Mizgajski will lead the development and delivery of an inspirational HP pathway programme, from participant or talent ID entry point through to senior elite competitiveness on the world stage and athletes becoming Carded on our elite programme.
He will work with the Head Coach, National Para-cycling Coach and Cycling Ireland Para-cycling Commission in the delivery and strategic leadership of the “Perform” aspects of the Cycling Ireland 2020-2024 Strategic Plan. A key aspect of which is the establishment of sustainable structures and systems specific to Olympic and Paralympic Programmes.
Our aim is to identify, develop and support riders through these essential stages in the HP Pathway to enhance their potential to be competitive as senior athletes in future Paralympic cycles. To underpin this aim, Martin will also work closely with the CI Paracycling Commission in their activity to introduce new participants to para-cycling disciplines as represented by “Participate” and “Enable” pillars in Cycling Ireland’s strategic plan.
Cycling Ireland High Performance Director, Iain Dyer, said:
“I am delighted we have been able to appoint Martin to this role. Martin has a great track record as a para cycling tandem pilot over two Paralympic cycles, and so along with his own experience as a coach offers a huge amount to enable CI to develop its own high-performance pathway for aspiring Paralympian cyclists.”
“We are very grateful to Paralympics Ireland and Sport Ireland to help us with funding and support for this specific role, which is a first for Cycling Ireland, and is a very satisfying milestone in our strategy. We have established a very successful Paralympic team across multiple Paralympic cycles, and by creating this role we have the opportunity to fully develop our HP Pathway and hopefully generate lots more success in the years to come.”
