Hanafin says athletes an inspiration to us all

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD:MINISTER FOR Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mary Hanafin spoke of "the huge personal sacrifices" Ireland's top women athletes have to make to gain recognition at national and international level at the The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year awards .

The ceremony in Dublin, which was also attended by chairman of the Irish Sports Council, Kieran Mulvey, and Geraldine Kennedy, editor of The Irish Times,celebrated the world-class achievements and abilities of many of the top female athletes throughout the 2010 season.

While the day belonged to three times European medal winner Gráinne Murphy, the 17-year-old swimmer who has a ranking of third in the world in the 1,500 metres freestyle event, the occasion also highlighted the success and contribution of all of the athletes, who were selected month by month, with Murphy winning the overall award.

“Irish sportswomen have excelled both nationally and internationally in a range of sports. It is very uplifting to see how dedicated all of these exceptional sportswomen are to their training. They are an inspiration to us all and are great role models for other women to participate in sport,” said Hanafin.

“I want to pay tribute to your families and coaches, who work so hard in the background for each and every one of you.”

The theme of commitment was extremely pertinent for Murphy, whose family supported her move from Ballinaboola, near New Ross in Wexford, down to Limerick, where she now lives with her mother and attends school.

The move was required in order to train correctly at the 50-metre pool in the University of Limerick.

Several of the other athletes live much of their lives out of the country travelling or training abroad.

“I think all of the winners here today would be first to acknowledge the contribution of their coaches, parents and partners to their successes,” added Kennedy.

“The sacrifices and dedication required to succeed at the highest levels of sports are well documented but the critical support behind that success sometimes fails to gain the recognition it deserves. So I think each and every one of you associated with one of our winners today should give yourselves a little pat on the back.

"These awards, which are the brainchild of Irish Timessports editor Malachy Logan, have grown in stature each year, not because of the sponsors but because of the stars we have with us today. They continue to raise the bar and excel way beyond what we should expect as a small nation."

The judges had a torrid time trying to decide the winner and while Murphy was one of the youngest in contention, her youth had little to do with the final decision.

It was pointed out that Derval O’Rourke, a two-time European medallist, is ranked 10th in the world in her specialised 100 metre hurdles event, 0.3 seconds outside the world number one, which equates to about one metre of track.

Katie Taylor’s remarkable dominance of her lightweight division in boxing was also a standout among a rich vein of talent that also included 22-year-old golfer Danielle McVeigh, who won the Scottish Amateur Strokeplay Championship to add to her British and Welsh titles, show jumping’s Jessica Kürten, ranked at third in the World Cup rankings, and All Stars in Gaelic football and camogie Denise Masterson and Una Leacy respectively.

What was also repeated over and over again is that sporting excellence and achievement is also quite a popular distraction in times when economic life is taking a kicking.

That point was brought home by the ISC chairman.

“In a country beset by economic woes our sporting endeavours are a beacon of home,” said Mulvey.

“The success of Irish sports in the international arena is so important to the country in terms of recognition and morale.

“It is the dedication and hard work of all our athletes that put Ireland on the map in such a positive way. I would like to congratulate Gráinne, who has had a fantastic year.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award was won by Jessica Harrington.

It recognised her contribution to Irish equestrianism as both a competitor and a trainer.

Prior to training Moscow Flyer, who many regard as one of the finest jumpers to come out of this country in the last 40 years, she was one of the country’s top three-day event riders at European, world and Olympic level.

For Murphy now, it’s Christmas and then back to training in some warm weather looking towards the World Championships next summer in China.

“I’m going to Australia in January for three weeks and I’ll take it from there,” she said.