SIXTEEN year old St Dominic's pupil Áine Doherty is preparing to fly out to Slovakia after qualifying to compete in the 2022 Summer European Youth Olympic Festival.

The Andersonstown teen has been a keen cyclist for the past ten years when she followed in her father's footsteps and joined the local cycling club VC Glendale.

Speaking ahead of the competition, she told the Andersonstown News: "I got to know a few girls in the area and we would go out on spins then I got into racing.

"In order to qualify we had three races in March and April and it was based on your performance in the race which took account of how you performed in the race as well as your result. 

"It was a bit difficult as I caught Covid a few weeks before the first race and I felt like I was behind. As I went on, I came back fighting and qualified."

The festival was due to take place last year but was rescheduled due to the pandemic and Áine said that she is delighted that she was still young enough to qualify. 

Áine competes across the road, mountain biking and Cyclo-cross cycling and has qualified for the road racing time trial. Last year she won the national titles in road racing, mountain biking and Cyclo-cross. Thanks to funding from the Mary Peters' Trust, Áine has been able to travel to compete in various competitions which have allowed her to get to the level she competes at today. 

In order to acclimatise to the Slovakian weather, Áine told us that she has had to adapt how she trains and wears extra layers while out on the road or whilst training indoors –  the room has to be kept at a temperature of 30 degrees.

"Cycling is a very hard sport and I have had multiple crashes but I have to trust the process and keep a positive mindset because I will overcome it and be back out on the road," she said.

"I have also begun to race for the UK too to try and raise my profile but this year I competed on the Irish team for the Youth Tour of Scotland and got a top ten result.

"I am looking forward to the high level racing because I know that the standard in Europe is a lot higher than in Ireland and I am excited to see where I am at the moment.

"Representing Ireland is a huge thing and it is going to be really special to put on the Ireland jersey at the biggest stage for youth sport.

"A goal of mine is to compete at the actual Olympics and this will be a great opportunity to learn and prepare so that if I do make it to the Olympics, I know what to expect."