Ciara Mageean and Rhasidat Adeleke were named as the joint Athlete of the Year winners at the 123.ie National Athletics Awards which took place in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry yesterday.
Mageean and Adeleke took top honours on the back of their respective record-breaking seasons which were highlighted with 4th place finishes at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
An outstanding season for Mageean now sees the Portaferry athlete boast national records at 800m (1:59.27), 1000m (2:31.06), 1500m (3:55.87) and the Mile (4:14.58), while 2023 NCAA 400m champion Adeleke also lays claim to a host of Irish national records including 60m (7.17), 200m (22.34), 300m (36.87), and 400m (49.20).
Mageean also walked away with the Track Athlete of Year Award, fending off strong competition from Irish relay star Sharlene Mawdsley and fellow record breakers Sarah Lavin and Andrew Coscoran who all enjoyed exceptional years.
Rhasidat Adeleke also picked up the U23 athlete of the year ahead of the exciting trio of Sarah Healy, Sophie O’Sullivan, and Nicola Tuthill.
European U20 long jump champion, Elizabeth Ndudi of Sport for Business member Dundrum South Dublin AC, was named U20 Athlete of Year following her superb gold medal performance in Jerusalem back in August.
Ndudi produced the jump of her life to set a new national U20 long jump record of 6.56m on her way to securing Ireland’s first field event gold medal at a European U20 championships.
The U20 award was hotly contested with Nick Griggs and Dean Casey nominated for the second year in a row, while Oisin Joyce was a worthy nominee for the category given his superb breakout season in the javelin.
Irish relay has enjoyed another stellar year, and it was fitting that the mixed relay team of Callum Baird, Chris O’Donnell, Jack Raftery, Roisin Harrison, Sharlene Mawdsley, and Sophie Becker picked up the Team of the Year Award on the back of their performance at the World Championships in Budapest.
Mark Carroll was a very popular inductee into the Hall of Fame for 2023. Carroll enjoyed a glittering career, announcing his arrival on the international scene by taking the European Junior Men’s 5,000m title in 1991 before going on to claim bronze in the 5,000m at the European Championships in Budapest (1998). Carroll would fulfil a lifelong ambition in the year 2000 when he won gold in the 3,000m at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Ghent.
Carroll also boasts a win in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile (2000), but arguably the greatest race of Carroll’s career was in Monaco in 1999, when he set the Irish 3,000m record of 7.30.36 which still stands today.
While the 123.ie National Athletics Awards are a celebration of the many successes of our international and national athletes, it also commemorates the association’s exceptional volunteer base. The Lifetime Services to Athletics Awards was presented to Matt Lynch, while Ballymena and Antrim’s Martin Wilkinson won Official of the Year.
John Hartnett and Susan Smith Walsh were joint recipients of Special Recognition Awards, while John Sheehan received the award for services to coaching.
“The 123.ie National Athletics Awards allow us celebrate the great performances of our athletes over the course of the last year, while also offering Athletics Ireland the opportunity to thank and acknowledge our coaches, officials, and clubs for their enormous contribution to the success of our sport,” said Athletics Ireland CEO Hamish Adams.
“We have enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2023 and we look forward to building on this year’s successes heading into an Olympic year in 2024 and beyond.”
“At 123.ie, our team are always trying for better, for both our customers and the community. And that’s what our Irish athletes, in every corner of the country do every day,” added Elaine Robinson, CEO of 123.ie
“The 123.ie National Athletics Awards is a fantastic opportunity to support and honour our Irish Athletes on their achievements throughout a record breaking year. I’d like to congratulate each of the Award winners and their families, their coaches, and all of the volunteers across the country on their achievements this past year and wish you continued success in 2024.”
