Eoghan Clifford

Eoghan Clifford
Ph.D.
Personal information
NationalityIrish
Born (1980-08-26) 26 August 1980 (age 44)[1]
Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland
Sport
Country Ireland
SportTrack and road cycling
Disability classC3
Medal record
Representing  Ireland
Men's Para-cycling
Summer Paralympics
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Road time trial C3
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Individual pursuit C3
Road World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Greenville Road race (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2014 Greenville Time Trial (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nottwil Time trial (C3)
Track World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Apeldoorn Scratch Race (C3)
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Apeldoorn 3km pursuit (C3)
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Montichiari 3km pursuit (C3)
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2015 Yverdons Les Bains Time Trial (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2015 Elzach Time Trial (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2016 Ostende Time Trial (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2017 Ostende Time Trial (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2016 Bilbao Road Race (C3)
Gold medal – first place 2017 Emmen Road Race(C3)
Silver medal – second place 2016 Ostende Road Race (C3)
Silver medal – second place 2017 Emmen Time Trial(C3)
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Elzach Road Race (C3)
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Yverdons Les Bains Road Race (C3)

Eoghan Clifford (born 26 August 1980) is an Irish Paralympic racing cyclist competing in C3 classification events. Clifford has represented Ireland at both road and track disciplines and is a multiple UCI Para-cycling World Champion, winning the C3 road race and the C3 time trial in Greenville in 2014, the scratch race at the track world championships in Apeldoorn in 2015 and the time trial event at Nottwil in 2015. He also won a bronze medal at the track world champions for the C3 pursuit in Apeldoorn in 2015 and Montichiari in 2016.

Early life

Clifford was born in 1980 in Dublin and grew up in Bruff, County Limerick. He attended both Primary and Secondary school in Bruff. He cycled back and forth to secondary school daily.[2] He moved to Galway, where he still lives, in 1998 to study at NUI Galway.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) in 2002.[2][3][4] While at NUI Galway he cultivated an interest in rowing, which he still enjoys.[2]

Clifford lives with Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, a hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, but still races at a national level in able-bodied events.[citation needed]

Career

Dr Clifford has worked as a full-time lecturer at NUI Galway since 2010. He has an interest both in Transport Engineering and Water Waste Engineering.[2]

He first entered Ireland's para cycling squad in 2014. The following year he qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.[2] He brought one gold and one bronze medal back with him.[3]

Personal life

He is married to Magdalena Hajdukiewicz.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Eoghan Clifford". paralympics.ie. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "The Road to Rio: NUI Galway lecturer to represent Ireland in Rio Olympics 2016". Cois Coribe. Winter 2015. p. 31. Eoghan Clifford (Environmental Engineering '02) was diagnosed at an early age with progressive muscular dystrophy... A Limerick native, but living in Galway since 1998, Eoghan Clifford has a zest for life that seems rare these days. Working as a full-time lecturer at NUI Galway since 2010, Eoghan stays on his toes by doing research. He divides his time between Transport Engineering and Water Waste Engineering... Eoghan's love for his bike began at a young age, when he had to cycle to secondary school every day... " I had to cycle the 7km in and out of school every day, because of this I was fitter than most of the lads in the rugby club. When I went to college at NUI Galway, I took up rowing too, which I still like... I only got into the para cycling squad last year (2014). Denis Twomey, current president of Cycle Ireland, had approached me a few years back, but I was just too busy with work..." He and his wife Magdalena Hajdukiewicz are expecting their first baby in the autumn...
  3. ^ a b "Long Road to Rio brings Gold back to Galway". Cois Coiribe. Autumn 2016. p. 13.
  4. ^ "Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental)". Archived from the original on 29 November 2011.