Stars shine bright at The Echo’s 10th annual Sports Awards Night
TALLAGHT Athletic Club’s Rhasidat Adeleke was crowned ‘Sports Star of the Year’ at The Echo 2018 Amateur Sports Awards held in the Green Isle Hotel on Thursday night.
Running in partnership with South Dublin County Council, the Green Isle Hotel and South Dublin County Sports Partnership, The Echo Sports Awards was celebrating its tenth year.
This year, Rhasidat Adeleke won The Echo Sport Star of the Month for January and July, before scooping The Echo 2018 Sport Star of the Year Award
Sixteen-year-old Adeleke scooped the top accolade following a tremendous season that saw her win gold in the European Under 18 200m Championships in Hungary as well as helping the Ireland Women’s 4x100m Relay team to silver at the World Under20 Championships in Finland a week later.
Glenanne Men’s Hockey Team were declared ‘Team of the Year’ after securing a return to Europe when they won the EY Hockey League before also reaching the Champions Trophy Final.
Glennane Men's Senior Hockey team manager, Joe Brennan with the 2018 Team of the Year Trophy and club captain, Davy Keogh
Indeed, it was a great night for hockey with Ireland Women’s Team boss, Graham Shaw picking up ‘The Echo Coach of the Year’ trophy after leading his team to an amazing silver medal at the World Cup in London in the summer.
What’s more, three of that very team, Hannah Matthews, Nicci Daly and Ali Meeke, who all play with Loreto Hockey Club, were honoured with ‘Sports Leading Light’ Awards as was St Mary’s Boxing Club’s recently-crowned World Women’s Lightweight champion, Kellie Harrington and two members of Ireland Homeless World Cup Soccer Team, Anthony Madden and Kenneth Kinsella who helped their nation to the Telmex Trophy in Mexico.
Ireland Women’s Hockey team manager Graham Shaw won The Echo 2018 Coach of the Year Award
Following a year in which they bagged a number of major honours in the Leinster Senior League and schoolboy soccer, Crumlin United FC picked up the ‘Club of the Year’ Award while South Dublin Taekwondo, home of Olympic hopeful Jack Woolley, were rewarded for the opening of their new training facility in Tallaght and the huge progression of many of their members with the ‘2018 Club Development’ Award.
‘The Echo Emerging Athlete of the Year’ trophy was won by Tallaght and National Centre swimmer Niamh Coyne after a superb season that featured a silver medal in the Youth Olympic Games 100m Breaststroke in Argentina.
Kilnamanagh AFC’s Paddy Ennis was declared ‘Sports Volunteer of the Year’ after near to 40 years of service with his club while Stuart McEvoy’s superb achievements with the Shamrock Rovers and Ireland Amputee teams were recognised with the inaugural ‘Sports Challenge’ Award.
Nine-time All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship winner, Betty ‘Gerry’ Hughes was inducted into The Echo Sports Hall of Fame
The night also saw The Echo and its partners pay tribute to two past heroes of Dublin GAA as former Blues and Thomas Davis senior footballer Paul Curran together with nine-time All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship winner, Betty ‘Gerry’ Hughes were inducted into The Echo Sports Hall of Fame.
For full coverage of the night visit our Instagram and Twitter accounts or pick up next Thursdays edition for a 12-page feature on The Echo 2018 Sport Awards.
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