RACHAEL BLACKMORE HAS been crowned RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year for 2021, following a year which saw the Tipperary jockey achieve a series of historic firsts on the racetrack.
In March, Blackmore became the first woman to be named leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival after bringing six winners home, including success with Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle, an achievement which saw her become the first woman to win Cheltenham’s headline event.
A month later Blackmore achieved more history in becoming the first woman to win the Grand National, steering home Minella Times at Aintree.
The 32-year-old came out on top of an eight-person shortlist, which included six women.
The other nominees were Kellie Harrington, Ellen Keane, Cian Lynch, Leona Maguire, Jason Smyth, Katie Taylor and Vikki Wall.
Watch Rachael Blackmore – A Grand Year on RTÉ One on 29 December at 9.25pm
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was named Young Sportsperson of the year after a breakout season between the sticks for Stephen Kenny’s side, highlights of which included saving a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty away to Portugal and an extraordinary save in Luxembourg.
The42′s Paul Fennessy charted the 19-year-old’s rise in a Read earlier today.
Ireland’s lightweight rowing head coach Dominic Casey was named Manager of the Year after steering his fellow Skibbereen men Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy to dominance at both the European Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.
Tokyo Paralympians Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal were voted Team of the Year, meanwhile, after their best ever Games at which the tandem para-cycling stars won two golds and a silver. Dunlevy and McCrystal pushed their British equivalents all the way at the velodrome in the B 3,000m individual pursuit. On the roads of Mount Fuji, they retained the time trial title they won in Rio five years ago, before completing their triple medal haul in the B road race at the Fuji International Speedway.
Also this evening, double World cross country champion, Olympic silver medallist and soon-to-be-retiring Sport Ireland chief executive John Treacy was inducted to the RTÉ Sport Hall of Fame.
The best home grown player we’ve produced in my lifetime. Really felt for him that day, especially given the prize that awaited. It was great that he got the consolation of playing Djokovic on Arthur Ashe in NY a few months later. Here’s hoping we can produce somebody else capable of mixing it with the best in the near future.
How come we don’t produce more players when it’s a relatively popular sport?
Define popular? Very few play it in Ireland and it is generally considered an upper class sport. Under funded too which in Ireland goes without saying.
Dublin Tennis League was once said to be the biggest tennis league in Europe , so numbers definitely not the problem
You can walk in and play for 3 euro each in Shankill Tennis Club
Or pay 225 euro annually works out 4 euro a week
Great value and a decent members who will help you play better
Tennis is an upper class sport?
Well, you learn something new everyday.
It’s not tennis that’s upper class it’s tennis clubs. Plenty of kids play tennis either as part of PE if there’s one nearby or summer camps and enjoy it. Problem is to pursue it further or get the right coaching, they need to join a club
Opening paragraph “fields of Athenry rang out but will probably be never heard again “why would one say that..
His sister Gina was better..
Limerick Native Born in England. How bout doing a piece in John Pius Boland. Olympic Tennis Gold Medalist c1890′s and Irishman. Legend held that when he was on the podium accepting his Gold Medal, he was dismayed that a Union Jack or British flag was being used (albeit Ireland was still part of the U.K. then) he said to the others on the podium that the Irish flag was a green flag. He’s and Olympic gold medalist in Tennis, a sport we’ve never been known for, it deserves a piece, even if there wasn’t open era back then.
His father played for Mayo and he only lived in England for a couple of years. No relevance. Only in your head.
That was 5 years ago. Get over it already
Tommy Carr son is a star kid in the European Junior leagues , Here’s hoping he can make an impact .
Define popular! How about universally played and supported for starters!! I presume it’s not as popular in your neck of the woods though.
Universally played and supported? I’m a big tennis fan but not sure what planet you are on.
I was there that day and the atmosphere was amazing. I watched some of the match and you could hear the cheering for Conor Niland on court number 1.