Four rising stars of Irish sport have been named among the 20 finalists who are set to face off in a public vote to secure a place on the Nissan Generation Next ambassador programme.
Over 1,000 high-flying Irish achievers from all walks of life applied to be part of this year’s programme which supports Ireland’s leaders and champions of tomorrow on their journey to success.
The seven finalists who attract the highest number of votes in the online poll will each receive the keys to a brand new, taxed and insured Nissan to drive for a year as Nissan Generation Next ambassadors.
A further three finalists will also be chosen by Nissan to join the innovative ambassador programme which has already helped 20 young Irish innovators, entrepreneurs, sports stars and go-getters to succeed on the national and international stage since it was created two years ago.
“Nissan Generation Next is all about helping the brightest and best to get ahead on the road to success. These young people are real winners with an international outlook. Their vision, ingenuity and drive to succeed in their chosen field is truly inspiring,” said James McCarthy, CEO of Nissan Ireland.
Members of the public can cast their vote for any of the 20 finalists who are in the running to become Nissan Generation Next ambassadors online at www.nissangenerationnext.ie anytime up to 28th June 2016.
The four sports stars named among the 20 finalists are:
Sophie Spence (29), Lime Street, Dublin – Rugby International
Sophie (Old Belvedere/Leinster) has been part of the Irish women’s rugby team since 2012, playing on the teams who achieved the historic 6 Nations Grand Slam in 2013 and who reached the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup where they became the first Irish rugby team to beat champions New Zealand. She was nominated as World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2015. Competing in the Autumn International series and Women’s World Cup and developing her own business to provide rugby camps for girls across all four provinces are among her goals for the next 18 months.
Shane Carthy (24), Swords, Dublin – Dublin County Footballer
Dublin county football star, Shane left his family in New York and turned down a US soccer scholarship when he was 19 years old to pursue his childhood dream of winning an All-Ireland with his native Dublin. He has won two Dublin Senior Club Championship, two Leinster titles and one All Ireland club title and has overcome homesickness, injury and being dropped to become a key figure on the Dublin team who are aiming to retain their All-Ireland Championship crown this year.
Cathal Daniels (19), Loughrea, Galway – Horse Rider
Professional horse rider Cathal is on the long list to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio. He has already achieved gold medal success at European level as a junior rider. He stepped up to senior level last year and was part of the winning Nation’s Cup team in Beokelo and who went on to take bronze in the first event of 2016 in Fontainebleau, finishing in the top 20 individually on both occasions. His goals are to become the world’s number one rider and to win gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Gearoid McDaid (19), Hazelwood, Sligo –Surfer
Gearoid started surfing aged 9 and at sixteen became the youngest ever person to win the Men’s Irish National Championship (2013). He placed fourth at the European Junior Surfing Championship and 20th in the World Junior Championships in 2014 before reclaiming the national title in 2015. He is the only Irish competitor on the European Circuit of the World Surf League and is focused on breaking into the top 200 in the World Qualifying Series in his first year and competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games should surfing become an Olympic sport.
Among last year’s winners were Rowing brothers from West Cork Paul and Gary O’Donovan. Part of the way Nissan works with them is creating video content such as this. You’ve just got to love the accent…
