Sarah Lavin, Rhasidat Adeleke and Rob and Marian Heffernan were all amongst the winners of awards at the Team Ireland Olympic Ball in the Mansion House, Dublin on Saturday night.
The event recognised the achievements of Irish athletes across the broad range of Olympic sports with special emphasis on those who had competed at the 2023 European Games in Krakow, Poland.
Lavin won the first award presented on the night as she picked up the PTSB Inspiring the Nation award. The 29-year-old who represents Emerald AC broke both the national 100m and 100m Hurdles records in 2023 as well as winning bronze at the European Games.
It was a busy night for the Limerick woman who later in the evening made the short journey to the Shelbourne Hotel where she collected the sport award at the Irish Tatler Women of the Year awards.
Adeleke wins award at Team Ireland Olympic Ball
Rhasidat Adeleke was a well deserved winner of the Sport Ireland Rising Star Award. The 21-year-old finished fourth in the final of the Women’s 400m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and became the first Irish woman to break fifty seconds for her event in 2023. Her mother Ade was in attendance to collect the award as Adeleke continues to train in Texas.
Rob and Marian Heffernan proved to be extremely popular recipients of the Flogas Community Ambassador of the Year award. The Olympians have been instrumental in developing athletics in Cork, setting up Cork City Athletics Club just over a year ago. The club now has in excess of 250 members.
Rower Aifric Keogh won the Allianz Women in Sport award, a category in which Ciara Mageean had been nominated, while the Irish Men’s Rugby Sevens team won the PTSB Team of the Year award seeing off the challenge of the winning European Team Championships Division Three athletics squad.
