Jason Queally

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Jason Queally

| honorific_suffix = MBE

| image =

| fullname = Jason Paul Queally

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1970|5|11}}

| birth_place = Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England

| height =

| weight =

| currentteam =

| discipline = Track

| role = Rider

| ridertype =

| amateuryears1 =

| amateurteam1 =

| proyears1 =

| proteam1 =

| majorwins =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry| {{GBR2}} }}

{{MedalCountry| {{ENG}} }}

}}

Jason Paul Queally {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE}}{{Cite web|date=23 July 2016|title=Midlands' Olympic legends: Jason Queally|url=https://www.itv.com/news/central/2016-07-23/midlands-olympic-legends-jason-queally/|access-date=21 July 2020|website=ITV}} (born 11 May 1970) is an English track cyclist. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Early years

Born at Great Haywood, Staffordshire, Queally spent his childhood in Caton, a village near Lancaster. He attended Caton County Primary School and Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he was part of the swimming squad in the mid-1980s, later representing Lancaster and British Universities in water polo while a student at Lancaster University, where he earned a BSc in Biological Science. He took up cycle-racing at 25.

In 1996, he nearly died in an accident at Meadowbank cycling track in Edinburgh (Chris Hoy brought down all the riders behind him, having caught the wheel of Craig MacLean) when an 18-inch sliver of the wooden track entered his chest via his armpit. The accident seriously affected Queally's confidence in tactical racing; as a result, he no longer took part in the sprint events, instead choosing to dedicate himself to Kilo and team sprint riding, time trial events with a reduced risk of crashing.{{cite web |last1=Birnie |first1=Lionel |title=The Big Interview: Jason Queally |url=https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/the-big-interview-jason-queally-62406 |website=Cycling Weekly |date=17 March 2010 |access-date=18 February 2022}}

Post Sydney

Queally was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to cycling.United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=56070 |date=30 December 2000 |supp=y |pages=21 }}

In October 2001 he competed in the World Human Powered Speed Challenge{{Cite web|url=http://www.recumbents.com/WISIL/whpsc2001/speedchallenge-2001.htm|title = The Recumbent Bicycle and Human Powered Vehicle Information Center}} at Battle Mountain, Nevada on the Blueyonder recumbent bicycle,{{Cite web |date=2002-08-20 |title=Profile: The Blueyonder Challenger - Fastest Man On Earth - 4of6 The Big Launch |url=https://www.speed101.com/now/fastest_0908_4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020820065540/https://www.speed101.com/now/fastest_0908_4.htm |archive-date=2002-08-20}} built largely from carbon fibre by Reynard Motorsport to a design by Chris Field. Queally maintained {{convert|64.34|mph|abbr=on}} over the 200m timed section of the course, a European record. The winner, Sam Whittingham, achieved {{convert|80.55|mph|abbr=on}}.

Although Olympic champion, Queally was not selected for the 1 km time trial at the 2004 Summer Olympics, competing only in the team sprint, in which Great Britain team was eliminated in the first round by Germany, the eventual winner, despite posting the second fastest time of the competition.

In 2009, Queally was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/sport/article/bc20091216-Hall-of-fame-fifty|title=50 Cycling Heroes Named in British Cycling's Hall of Fame|publisher=British Cycling|date=2009-12-17|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220041110/http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/sport/article/bc20091216-Hall-of-fame-fifty|archive-date=20 December 2009|df=dmy-all}}

Queally retired from able-bodied cycling after failing to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8563085.stm |title=Jason Queally named in Great Britain cycling squad|date=12 March 2010|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=22 November 2012}} He subsequently worked with Paralympic cyclist Anthony Kappes with the aim of competing together on a tandem at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7899497.stm |title=Queally eyes unique gold double|date=19 February 2009|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=22 November 2012}} However he returned to able-bodied competition when he received a call up to the British squad for the 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. After not being selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics he rejoined the British paralympic cycling squad as a pilot for the tandem events in November 2012.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/20323051 |title=Jason Queally returns to GB Paralympic cycling squad |last=Hudson |first=Elizabeth|date=14 November 2012|work=bbc.co.uk |access-date=22 November 2012}}