Brilliant Ellen secures Sport Star of the Year for the second time
THERE are not too many athletes that can say they qualified for a swimming final at an Olympic Games.
Well Ellen Walshe, who was named the Active South Dublin Sport Star of the Year, for the second year running achieved this feat in Paris in what was a superb year for the 23-year-old.
A member of Templeogue Swim Club, Ellen also went on to smash eight Irish records at the World Aquatics Championships (SC) in Budapest.
Ellen broke the records in the 50m and 100m Butterfly and 100m and 200m IM, and top 10 placings in the 200m IM (5th), 400m IM (5th), 100m Butterfly (6th) and 100m IM (9th) after an impressive week of racing.
The incredible feat of securing a spot in an Olympic final last August in the women’s 400m individual medley makes Walshe one of only four athletes to become an Olympic swimming finalist for Ireland since the games began.
Ellen concluded her individual competition at the Paris Olympic Games in the women’s 200m Individual Medley semi-final.
She was also a member of the Ireland team in the heats of the 4x100m Medley Relay Speaking at the Active Sports Dublin Sports Awards gala night in association with The Echo Newspaper and South Dublin County Council in The Plaza Hotel, Ellen said: “The pinnacle of my sport is the Olympics and I think to walk out to an Olympic final is everyone’s dream.
“It was great to be back on the world stage after the Olympics which can be scary sometimes, but to get back out there and break a few more records was amazing.
“Speaking about her coach Brian Sweeney who was named the Club Coach of the Year, Ellen said: “We have been together since I was 10 years of age.
It’s been a long time. We had our struggles, but we make a good team and that’s why I am here today.
Ellen is promoting and teaching the sport locally with her club and schools.
“I teach in the Club Dare To Believe.
“I tell my story to the younger generation, its just amazing.
“Ellen also thanked her parents for their support saying: “Swimming is early morning, early starts and I could not drive until I was 17 so my parents got up with me as well and continued on with their day.
“We travelled the world together, it’s great.” Speaking on behalf of Active South Dublin, Thos Mc Dermott, Head of Sport & Recreation, declared himself delighted with the positive atmosphere of the awards night, with the wide variety of sports winners and with the overall winners who represented South Dublin County so well in 2024.
“The Active South Dublin Amateur Sports Awards are now a key date in the sporting calendar of the county.
“They allow sports teams, individuals, coaches and administrators to receive due praise from their sporting peers and they allow South Dublin Co. Co. to honour the great effort and success of its citizens which reflect so well on their communities.
“Active South Dublin is delighted to be a partner in that and long may it continue”.
