Irish duo ‘had their backs against the wall’ as they only just qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The Madison pairing needed to beat two other nations to be in with a chance of riding the Olympics

(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

The Irish men’s Madison duo narrowly managed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in a tense race at the Track World Championships.

Felix English and Mark Downey went into the Worlds Madison in Berlin needing to beat both Portugal and Hong Kong to be in with a chance at riding in Tokyo this summer, and racing got off to a rocky start.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.