June 2016 Sports Star of the Month – Jenny Egan

By Stephen Leonard

LUCAN canoeist Jenny Egan finally got her hands on an ICF World Cup gold medal following a stunning victory in the Women’s K1 5000m in Portugal last month.

Taking the lead with about 750m to go, Egan produced an aggressive performance that served to stave off the strong challenge of closest rivals Margaret Hogan of the USA and Germany’s Melanie Gebhardt.

This victory came hot on the heels of her silver medal win in the same division at the World Cup meet in the Czech Republic only a week earlier.

Egan took the title in front her family, including brother Peter who finished 15th in the Men’s K1 5000m – his best performance in this class.

“It’s always special to have your family there,” said Jenny. “They’ve been with me through the good times and the bad and, my dad [Tom Egan], as team leader, was part of the medal presentation.”

Her performances in the various World Cup meets have provided a boost to the Dubliner who was determined to put behind her the disappointment of just missing out on Olympic qualification.

Next up for her will be the ICF Canoe Marathon World Cup back in Portugal this weekend.