Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) have continued their post-season lap of honour with nominations for another prestigious set of annual awards.
Having been up for gongs at the Olympic Sport Awards last weekend, the duo are now in big company on the shortlist for the main accolade at the RTÉ Sports Awards 2025.
Gillespie has won a European and world title this year, both in the elimination race on the track. Healy held the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, where he also won a stage, before finishing 3rd in an epic UCI World Road Race Championships in Rwanda.
And though those results have put them in the top tier in international pro cycling, both also scored other results, including wins, through the season.
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The fact two cyclists are on the 12-person list of nominees for RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year is a reflection of the kind of success they achieved this year, and the bumper season Irish cycling has enjoyed generally.
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The Cycling Ireland high performance unit won the ‘High Performance Programme of the Year’ at the Olympic Sport Awards last weekend. And with the shortlists for several of the RTÉ Sports Awards yet to be announced, more cyclists may yet feature.
There are awards for RTÉ Sport Team of the Year, the RTÉ Sport Manager of the Year and the RTÉ Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year.
The nominees for RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year are:
- Lara Gillespie, Cycling: Breakthrough year on the road, in her first full season in the pro peloton, and also claimed gold in the elimination race at both the Worlds and Europeans
- Ben Healy, Cycling: First Irishman since Sean Kelly in 1989 to win a medal at the road Worlds and first Irishman since Stephen Roche in 1987 to hold the yellow jersey, for two days, on the Tour de France.
- Aoife O'Rourke, Boxing: Won gold at the World Championships and silver in the middleweight division at the IBA World Championships.
- David Clifford, Gaelic Football: One of the greatest players to ever grace a GAA pitch, Clifford won a sixth All Star this year as well as winning the All Ireland with Kerry.
- Fiona Murtagh, Rowing: Though a newcomer to single sculls in 2025, she won gold at the Worlds and silver in the Europeans.
- Katie McCabe, Soccer: Won the Champions League with Arsenal and made her 100th appearance for the Republic of Ireland.
- Kate O'Connor, Athletics: Won silver medals in the heptathlon at the indoor and outdoor World Championships and gold at the World University Games.
- Orla Comerford, Athletics: Claimed two gold medals at World Para Athletics Championships, in the T13 100m and 200m events.
- Rory McIlroy, Golf: Completed a career Grand Slam with his first win at the Masters.
- Roisín Ní Riain, Swimming: Won five medals at the World Para Swimming Championships, including three silvers and two bronzes.
- Sarah Healy, Athletics: Won gold at the European Indoor Championships in the 3,000 as well as Diamond League victory.
- Troy Parrott, Soccer: The hero who got Ireland into the World Cup pay-offs by scoring two goals in Ireland's win over Portugal and three in our victory over Hungary.
The awards will be presented at the RTÉ Montrose campus, in a televised ceremony, on the night of Saturday, December 20th.
