Athletics Ireland’s Women in Sport Officer Lilly-Ann O’Hora has been named in the PWC Sport for Business 30 Under 30 list for 2022.
The list names thirty people under the age of thirty who have risen quickly through a career in sports administration, sponsorship, or other areas where sport and business crossover and recognises them for their achievements in their careers to date.
O’Hora has done an impressive job in her role since taking it up in 2019. The Limerick woman has been responsible for the creation and implementation of many exciting initiatives such as ‘Forerunners’ and ‘The Hit Squad.’
The ‘Forerunners’ programme aims to assist those who support grassroot to podium development. The programme addresses the importance of female leadership in athletics and helps female officers and leaders to become more efficient and effective in their operations.
In January O’Hora launched the Women in Sport Strategic Plan. The plan aims to increase the number of level-2 and level-3 accredited female coaches each year by 10% until 2024, which will be done through identification, recruitment, and development.
It also aims to get 1500 participants in its ‘Girl Squad’ programme which is mainly aimed at Transition Year students. Irish Internationals Katie Kirk and Ciara Neville are among the contributors to the programme.
Sport Ireland welcomed the plan when it was launched.
“While athletics has a long history of promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls, it is a sign of leadership that an organisation can recognise the areas where improvements can still occur. Sport Ireland welcomes and congratulates Athletics Ireland on the development and launch of its Women in Sport Strategic Plan, and we look forward to supporting the ongoing strides the organisation makes in its commitment to women in sport,” Nora Stapleton, Women in Sport lead with Sport Ireland said.
O’Hora also continues to have a successful career on the track. She most recently finished second at the Irish Life Health National Indoor Championships in February representing her club Dooneen AC. She ran a PB of 8.27s for the 60m Hurdles in that race. Outdoors last year O’Hora finished third at the National Seniors and ran a PB of 13.53s two weeks before at the AAI Games at Morton Stadium in Santry.
Lilly-Ann is clearly an inspiration to women and girls within the sport both on and off the track and continues to excel in her position. Congratulations on being recognised on this widely acknowledged list of talent.
