Richael Timothy
Age: 26
Hometown: Ballymore, Co Roscommon.
Club: Castlerea CC.
Coach: Neill Delahaye.
Classification: C3
Events: Track: 500m Time-Trial/3km Pursuit. Road: Road Race & Time-Trial.
World Rankings: 4th track (2020) and 7th road (2021).
Richael played schoolgirl soccer for Ireland (U15 and U17) alongside current Irish captain Katie McCabe) and gaelic for Roscommon until her football career was ended by an acquired brain injury. It was caused by treatment for a rare condition known as HHT (Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia) which affects veins and arteries. It left her with just 30 per cent power in her left leg but she has made remarkably quick progress since taking up cycling.
She made her Irish debut in 2017 and won her first international medal at the Manchester Para-Cycling International in December 2019, winning silver in the Scratch race and knocking 17 seconds off her Pursuit PB. She won bronze at the 2020 World Track Championships in the non-Paralympic Scratch Race event in 2020 and this year came fourth (Road Race) and fifth (Time Trial) at the World Road Championships in Estoril in early June.
Richael has a degree in sports science from Athlone IT. She works with the Roscommon Sports Partnership and is doing a Masters in Performance Coaching with Setanta College but deferred her work and studies in April 2021 to concentrate on Paralympic preparation.~
