An ultra-fit paralympic gold medalist has told how Covid-19 left her on her ‘hands and knees’ and unable to return to full training for weeks.
Tandem para-cycling champions Eve McCrystal and Katie-George Dunlevy left a nation in awe after they took home double gold and silver medals from their winning performances at the Tokyo Paralympics last year.
The Co Louth duo were honoured for their achievements with an RTE Sports Team of the Year award in December, having seen off competition from a number of nominees, including the Meath Ladies Footballers, Leinster Rugby and the Olympic rowing gold medal winners Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy.
However Eve, a garda, has revealed how the virus stopped her in her tracks, despite her fitness levels.
“I was got by Covid, like so many other people, in November so I’m still trying to get back. It’s quite difficult actually. It set me back but I’m finally getting there,” she told LMFM's Late Lunch programme.
“I had to come back little by little and that’s OK. Covid-19 put me on my hands and knees, I’m going to be honest with you.
“I’m as fit as a fiddle but I wasn’t well for 10 days.
“I followed the protocol from the Institute of Sport in returning to training after Covid and I ticked all the right boxes and didn’t do anything risky.
“It’s about seven weeks since I had it and I’m really only getting right now. I was OK but when I got on the bike to try and exercise, I saw a big change.
“I just had to be patient and give it time and patience so I trained consistently in little bits over the Christmas just to keep me going.
“Covid-19 wasn’t nice and it’s not nice for people and other people got it 10 times worse than I did, but it still wasn’t an easy time for me.”
Eve said the RTE gong before Christmas was unexpected and they had ‘resigned themselves not to win’.
“We thought we were not going to win against the Olympic rowers or big GAA teams so the award was unexpected.
“We have given our heart, our souls, our everything into our sport and then when it goes right on the day and you come home with gold, it’s just a sense of relief and accomplishment and thank God that it went right.
Eve said that Katie George had an ear piece for the first time during the time trial so they both knew they had won when they heard the coach telling them 'well done girls, finish it strong and show the world what you can do'.
“The media really got behind us this time and everyone was able to see our joy.
“When we got home life hadn’t changed and I was making lunch for school the following morning,” she laughed.
