Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have been crowned 'team of the year' at the RTÉ Sport Awards 2021; the double Paralympic champions topping a huge year with their latest win.
The two Irish cyclists were up against serious opposition last night, including the Galway Camogie team, Leinster Rugby, the Limerick Hurlers, Meath Ladies Footballers, Olympic rowing gold medal winners Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Shamrock Rovers, the Tyrone Footballers and the women’s four rowers, who won bronze at the Olympics.
However, while the opposition was hot - especially from the Olympic medalists - Dunlevy's and McCrystal's three-medal haul at the Paralympics saw them take the award, one of the most prestigious annual sports awards in the country.
They appeared on the RTÉ Sport Awards TV ceremony on RTÉ One last night, where all this year's winners received their trophies. Their win comes 12 months after Irish downhill rider Oisin O'Callaghan won the 'young sportsperson of the year'.
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"I can't believe we've won this, we're blown away," said Dunlevy on accepting the award last night. "It's been an incredible year and this actually just tops it. It's a really special moment, I can't believe we've won it.
"This is really for any blind or partially sighted child aspiring to do something with their life, whether it's sport or not; just believe in yourself and you can achieve. Just aim high and dream big, you can do anything."
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Ireland's tandem para-cycling stars Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have been named as the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year. pic.twitter.com/DZT58RRFfl
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 18, 2021
Dunlevy added she would continue with her racing until Paris 2024, though would take it one year at a time. McCrystal said she would race into next year, when the duo will aim for the World Championships in March, at which point she would assess the future.
Jockey Rachel Blackmore claimed the 'sportsperson of the year award' last night after a ground-breaking year. During 2021 she become the first woman to win the Grand National.
She was also the first female jockey to win the leading rider title at the Cheltenham Festival. She took six wins during that week of racing, including in the Champion Hurdle
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu won the RTÉ 'young sportsperson of the year' award, which cyclist Lara Gillespie was also shortlisted for after her silver medal in the U23 individual pursuit at the European Championships.
Ireland’s lightweight rowing head coach Dominic Casey won the 'manager of the year', a category that Cycling Ireland coach-manager Neil Delahaye was shortlisted for. He made the list after the success of the Irish paracyclists in Tokyo, where hand-cyclist Gary O’Reilly took TT bronze to add to the success of Dunlevy and McCrystal.
