A selection of Ireland's best sports stars and teams of 2024 will find out if they are the winners of RTÉ's various sports award categories this Sunday. These include Sportsperson of the Year, Team of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Young Sportsperson of the Year.
Firstly, the Sportsperson of the Year nominees include Paralympic legend Katie George Dunlevy, who added gold and silver medals in Paris to her glittering career, and Paul O'Donovan, who secured historic Olympic and World Championship golds in rowing.
Also, trailblazers like Rhys McClenaghan, Ireland's first gymnastics Olympic medallist, and Kellie Harrington, now a double Olympic boxing champion, are joined by sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke, whose record-breaking performances electrified the European Championships.
Other nominees include Katie Taylor, who defended her undisputed light-welterweight title, and Daniel Wiffen, whose Olympic swimming gold set a new 800m freestyle record. Shane O'Donnell’s hurling heroics, Paul Townend’s triple crown in horse racing, and the groundbreaking performances of athletes like Róisín Ní Riain and Anthony Cacace also get the nod.
Nominees for the Manager of the Year award include Andy Farrell, who led Ireland to back-to-back Six Nations titles, and Damien Duff, who guided Shelbourne to their first league title in 18 years. Clare's Brian Lohan, Armagh's Kieran McGeeney, and Cork Camogie's Ger Manley also feature, alongside horse racing legends Willie Mullins and Aidan O'Brien. Kerry Women’s Football joint managers Declan Quill and Darragh Long complete the list after ending a 31-year All-Ireland drought.
Among the contenders for Team of the Year are Clare’s hurlers, who claimed their fifth All-Ireland title, and Armagh’s footballers, who lifted the Sam Maguire for the first time in 22 years. Kerry’s women’s football team and Cork’s camogie side also feature after historic All-Ireland victories.
output:OLYMPIC CHAMPION Kellie Harrington (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images) )Shelbourne FC celebrated their first SSE Airtricity League title in 18 years, while Ireland’s rugby team secured back-to-back Six Nations championships. Olympic champions Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy defended their lightweight double sculls title in Paris, and para-cyclists Katie George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly shone with Paralympic and World Championship golds.
Ireland’s 4x400m mixed relay team and their golden moment at the European Championships complete this stellar list.
The RTÉ Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year nominees include six rising stars.
The nominees include cyclist Lucy Bénézet Minns, who struck gold in the women’s points race at the Junior Track European Championships, and boxer Kyla Doyle, a double gold medallist at the World and European Youth Championships.
Javelin thrower Oisín Joyce joins the list after securing bronze at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, while sailor Eve McMahon, Ireland’s youngest-ever Olympic sailor, added Under-21 ILCA6 World Championship gold to her name.
Paralympic swimmer Róisín Ní Ríain impressed with silver and bronze medals in Paris, while boxer Adam Olaniyan completed the lineup, mirroring Doyle’s double gold success in the ring.
Jacqui Hurley, Darragh Maloney, and Joanne Cantwell will present the awards live from Studio 4 in RTÉ at 9:30 pm on Sunday, 15 December.
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