IRELAND'S KATIE-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have become the first Paralympians to win the Team of the Year accolade at the RTE Sports Awards.
The award is the Irish equivalent of BBC Sports Personality Awards. The pair won two gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics for cycling.
Dunlevy and McCrystal were up against the likes of Olympic rowing gold medallists Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Leinster Rugby, the Limerick hurlers, Meath ladies gaelic football team, Shamrock Rovers, the Tyrone gaelic footballers, the women’s four rowers, and the Galway camogie team,
Tokyo , Japan - 26 August 2021; Katie-George Dunlevy, left, and Eve McCrystal of Ireland (Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Dunleavy's father is a native of Mountcharles. She tweeted out;
“I can’t believe we’ve won this, we’re blown away.
“It’s been an incredible year and this actually just tops it. It’s a really special moment, I can’t believe we’ve won it.
“This is really for any blind or partially sighted child aspiring to do something with their life, whether it’s sport or not; just believe in yourself and you can achieve. Just aim high and dream big, you can do anything.”
McCrystal tweeted:
“The last few months have been hectic. I think it’s only sinking in now what we have achieved. To win @RTEsport Team of the Year is so special to us. What a year. Thank you so much to everyone for your support and all your kind messages. Blown away again. Merry Christmas”
Ireland's tandem para-cycling stars Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have been named as the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year. pic.twitter.com/DZT58RRFfl
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 18, 2021
