Paralympic medallists Róisín Ní Ríain, Katie George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly are in the mix once again to claim a top honour today, the Irish Times Sportswomen of the Year Award. The awards will take place at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin this afternoon, bringing together some of the country’s top athletes. This year’s event holds added significance as it celebrates the 20th anniversary of these prestigious awards.
Ní Ríain was named Irish Times Sportswoman of the Month in April, while Dunlevy and Kelly received the honour in September.
Limerick swimmer Ní Ríain was the standout Irish sportswoman in April after her stunning exploits at the Para Swimming European Championships in Madiera, Portugal. The trip to Portugal proved exceptionally successful for the young athlete and the entire team, with an impressive haul of twelve medals overall, Ní Ríain herself bring home five. She had the most gruelling schedule of the Irish team – 11 races in six days between heats and finals. Her remarkable performance in Madeira offered a promising glimpse of what could be achieved at the Paralympic Games four months later and she delivered, winning two medals in Paris.
Katie-George Dunlevy and her pilot, Linda Kelly had an unforgettable year, overcoming injury and illness to win gold and silver medals at the Paralympic Games and double gold at World Championships. They brought home a gold medal from the Women’s B Individual Time Trial and a silver medal from the Women’s B Road Race from the Paralympic Games. Not long after Paris they won gold in the time trial and road race at the UCI Road and Para-cycling World Championships in Zurich.
Full list of monthly winners:
December 2023 – Fionnuala McCormack
January 2024 – Lucy Mulhall
February 2024 – Mona McSharry
March 2024 – Rachael Blackmore
April 2024 – Róisín Ní Riain
May 2024 – Rhasidat Adeleke
June 2024 – Ciara Mageean
July 2024 – Kellie Harrington
August 2024 – Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh
September 2024 – Katie George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly
October 2024 – Lara Gillespie
November 2024 – Katie Taylor
