Echo Sports Awards 2019: Woolley crowned The Echo Sports Star 2019
ANOTHER stunning season in World Taekwondo saw Tallaght’s Jack Woolley raise ‘The Echo 2019 Sports Star of the Year’ Award at Thursday night’s Gala in the Green Isle Hotel.
In doing so, he became the very first athlete to win this accolade for a second time having been previously crowned winner in 2015.
The Echo 2019 Sports Star of the Year, Jack Woolley with his proud parents Annette and Harry.
The South Dublin Taekwondo star this year made the podium at five major international competitions, a record that has taken him to the brink of qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 21-year-old athlete has medalled at virtually every major international event he has attended, starting with gold at the Turkish Open.
That feat was followed with a silver medal in the US Open in which he carded four impressive victories in the -58kg division.
Heading ‘Down Under’ in June, Woolley was crowned Australian Open champion and also won bronze in the Oceania Presidents Cup.
He travelled to Las Vegas in October to contest the PanAm Championships, winning gold and recording a huge win in the final against tournament favourite Brandon Plaza, the current world silver medallist from Mexico.
Following that he amassed a further 24 ranking points after winning a superb silver at the European Championships in Bari, before finishing fifth in the Grand Prix Final in Moscow, to go sixth in the World rankings.
Speaking after capping a great year with ‘The Echo Sports Star of the Year’ Award, Woolley said “I’m really honoured to get the award for the second time, the first person to do that.
“It’s nice that someone is appreciating what me and my coach [Robert Taaffe] go through. It is a very stressful sport and it’s just really good that we’re getting that recognition.
“We set goals at the start of the year and we’ve met every single one of them. I’ve done everything I can to qualify [for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics], so we’re just waiting on other people. There’s one competition left at the end of the year.
“But we’re not going to focus on that. We’re going to be proud of what I’ve accomplished.
“I’ve travelled to the other side of the world. I’ve gone to Australia and I did what I had to do, I went to Las Vegas, did what I had to do and I’m just extremely proud of myself” he said.
Woolley was among a fiercely competitive line up of 12 contenders for the Sports Star of the Year Award, five of them representing combat sports, including Tallaght Martial Art’s Jodie Browne, Neilstown Boxing Club’s Winnie Christina McDonagh, Shauna Bannon of SBG Dublin 24 and another of the South Dublin Taekwondo contingent, Emma Cahill.
Former Sports Star of the year winners, Brendan Hyland (swimming), Jenny Egan (canoeing) and Rhasidat Adeleke were back in the running this year along with newcomers to the line-up Joseph Ojewumi (athletics), Denis Crowley (rowing), Peter Egan (canoeing) and Nadia Power (athletics).
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