Some 12 nominees have been named for the 2025 RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year award in an outstanding year for Irish sport.
In boxing, Aoife O’Rourke won gold at the World Championships and silver in the middleweight division at the IBA Championships.
In cycling, Ben Healy became the first Irishman to lead the tour since Stephen Roche with a stage win to boot. He won a bronze medal at the World Championship road race and the first Irish man to win a medal since Sean Kelly in 1989.
In Gaelic games, David Clifford became the first man to win footballer of the year for a third time and was top scorer in the Championship with 8-62 and 8-48 from play, as Kerry won the Sam Maguire Cup.
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In rowing, Fiona Murtagh only transitioned to single sculls this year and won World gold, European Silver as well as a silver at the World Rowing Cup.
In soccer, Katie McCabe won the Champions League for Arsenal and inspired her country to a Nations League play-off victory over Belgium. Troy Parrott scored a match-winning brace against Portugal and follow this with a hat-trick against Hungary to secure Ireland’s place in the 2026 World Cup playoffs.
In athletics, Kate O’Connor won silver medal in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships, setting a new Irish National Record (6,714 points), and won silver medal in the Pentathlon at the World Indoors. She won bronze medal in the Pentathlon at the European Indoors.
Orla Comerford became a double gold medallist at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, winning both the T13 100m and 200m events. Sarah Healy won a gold medal in the 3000m at the European Indoor Championships, securing her first Diamond League victory, and reaching the final of the World Athletics Championships.
In cycling, Lara Gillespie won the gold medal in the elimination race at the UCI Track World Championships in Santiago, Chile, becoming Ireland’s first woman track cycling World Champion.
In golf, Rory McIlroy had a historic year, highlighted by completing the career Grand Slam with his win at the Masters. He secured a three PGA Tour wins and two DP World Tour wins, including the Irish Open and was part of the winning European Ryder Cup team.
In swimming, Roisin Ní Riain won a hat-trick of silvers at the World Para Swimming Championships by claiming silver in the 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke as well as the 400m free style and two further bronze medals in the 100m butterfly and the 200m individual medley.
