SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR; AFTER THE achievements last year of Gráinne Murphy, Derval O'Rourke, Katie Taylor, Madeline Perry and Katie Walsh, to name but five, 2010 was always going to be a hard act to follow. But, as it proved, 2011 was another memorable year for Irish sportswomen, both for our most familiar names and for several emerging talents.
Again, previous award winners Taylor, Perry, the Maguire twins – Lisa and Leona, Fionnuala Britton, Chloe Magee and Nina Carberry excelled in their sporting fields, with several new names added to our roll of honour, among them Jenny Egan, Sycerika McMahon, Deirdre Ryan and Aileen Morrison. Meanwhile Fiona Coghlan (rugby), Ursula Jacob (camogie) and Amy O’Shea (Gaelic football) all captained their teams to success.
The timeframe for this year’s overall award was December 2010 to November 2011 which, in light of some of the feats of our sportswomen this month – including Britton and the Murphys, Gráinne and Annalise – should make the 2012 decision (with another 11 months to go) almost as difficult as the one for 2011.
SPORTSWOMEN OF THE MONTH: DECEMBER 2010-NOVEMBER 2011
December 2010:Fionnuala Britton (Athletics) When she finished fourth at the European Cross Country a year ago, she said it was the disappointment that drove her on to do better at this month's event. The Wicklow runner didn't, of course, just do better – she won gold.
January: Leona Maguire (Golf) It was another great year for the 16-year-old twins from Cavan, among the highlights for Leona her remarkable victory at the Portuguese Ladies Amateur Open Championship, which featured more than 80 of Europe's leading amateurs, by 15 strokes.
February: Fiona Coghlan (Rugby) Despite the loss of several of their most experienced players to retirement and injury, the Irish squad, under the captaincy of Coghlan, enjoyed victories over Italy and Scotland and lost by just two points to France, the team that went on to finish third.
March: Lisa Maguire (Golf) Lisa followed up Leona's January success by winning the Spanish Ladies International Amateur Championship, a victory that lifted her into the top 10 of the world rankings.
April: Nina Carberry (Horse racing) Long before April, Carberry was already one of our most outstanding sportswoman, a perennial contender for our overall award. However, it will be hard to top the day she became only the second woman to win the Irish Grand National on Organisedconfusion.
May: Jenny Egan (Canoeing) A year before, Egan became the first Irish canoeist to win a medal at World Cup level, and the Salmon Leap club member repeated the feat in May, taking silver at the World Cup Two in the Czech Republic.
June: Katie Taylor (Boxing) Won a fourth successive European title, her 11th major international title since 2005. With women's boxing in the Olympics for the first time, the quality of Taylor's opposition has grown stronger – not that it's stopped her winning medals.
July: Sycerika McMahon (Swimming) and Madeline Perry (Squash) McMahon won two golds and a silver at the European Junior Swimming Championships; Perry added the Singapore Masters to her list of pro squash titles.
August: Deirdre Ryan (Athletics) Ryan improved her Irish high jump record, helped Dundrum South Dublin to their first National League title since 1987, before breaking her record again (securing her Olympic Games spot) and coming sixth at the World Championships.
September: Ursula Jacob (Camogie) and Amy O'Shea (Gaelic football) Wexford's Jacob and Cork's O'Shea both captained their counties to All-Ireland success, Wexford winning their third title in five years and Cork their sixth in seven.
October: Aileen Morrison (Triathlon) The Derry woman inched ever closer to sealing her place in the Olympic Games by finishing second at a World Cup event in South Korea, having come fourth at World Championship events in Mexico and Japan.
November
: Chloe Magee (Badminton) With confirmation not due until April, Magee all but sealed her Olympic spot in a season that saw her win her first senior international title. Reaching the Norwegian Open final and the Irish Championships quarters ensured the ranking points.
