Double Olympic boxing champion Kellie Harrington crowned Sportswoman of the Year 2024 

Boxer Kellie Harrington, who claimed her second Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics last August, has been crowned The Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year for 2024.  

The Dubliner’s victory over China’s Wenlu Yang in the 60kg final on a never to be forgotten night at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, made Harrington the first Irish boxer to win two gold Olympic medals. 

Harrington, who celebrated her 35th birthday in early December, also joins a select group of only four athletes who have successfully defended an Olympic title – the others being double sculls rowers Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy and hammer thrower Dr Pat O’Callaghan. 

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Awards, and it is the second time Harrington has claimed the overall Sportswoman of the Year title.

The first one came back in 2018 after she claimed the lightweight title at the World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. 

While that was a hugely important breakthrough – at that point she had been boxing for over a decade but was largely unknown outside boxing circles – in the long term it would prove to be the launching pad for even greater success, culminating in the winning of Olympic gold in Tokyo in August 2021. 

Three years later she won gold again. After she was announced the winner at Roland Garros, an emotional Harrington described what the win meant to her: “To get to the Olympics is a mountain in itself, and then when you get there to set foot on to a podium is a massive, massive mountain…….To see your nation’s flag at the top of the podium, that’s just special, because there’s not many people in the world who get to do it and I know I’m doing it twice now.” 

During 2024 she won the Sportswoman of the Month Award for July after defeating Colombia’s Angie Valdes Pana in her quarter final.

That victory, on the last day of July, meant she became the first Irish woman to win medals in two Olympic Games.

She then defeated professional world champion Beatrice Ferreira of Brazil in a closely contested semi-final, Harrington producing a masterclass of movement and punching in the final round to secure her place in the gold medal match. 

In 2016 at her first world championships in Kazakhstan an inexperienced Harrington fought extremely well to get to the final, where she was defeated by China’s Asian champion Wenlu Yang.

But it was a coming-of-age moment for Harrington, the silver medal she won and the subsequent funding from Sport Ireland enabling her to move to the next level. Now eight years late in Paris she faced Yang again for the first time since that fight. 

But this was a very different Harrington, a World and Olympic champion.

She attacked from the off and built an unassailable lead over the first two rounds to seal her Olympic legacy.

The proud Dubliner had indicated beforehand that this would be her last fight, and her controlled display ensured she brought the curtain down on her career, on her terms, if that is to be the case. 

“A lot of the time people don’t know when to finish, so I’m happy that I am making that decision to finish it this way, my way, and go out as a double Olympic champion.”

That she most definitely did, serenading ecstatic Irish fans after the medal ceremony with an emotional rendition of Grace.

Back in Dublin the party was only getting under way, especially for thousands of her diehard fans in Dublin’s north inner city, who had watched the final on the big screen in Diamond Park. Portland Row’s finest, the ‘Queen of Dublin City’ did it her way. 

Rhasidat Adeleke 

Sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke from Tallaght won the Sportswoman of the Month award for May, for her brilliant performances at the World Relay Championships in the Bahamas.

Rhasidat’s mum Ade Ademola accepted the trophy on her behalf at the Awards ceremony which were held recently at the Shelbourne Hotel. 

Adeleke put in a series of masterful runs at those Relay Championships to help Ireland qualify for the Olympics in both the women’s and mixed 4×400 metres relays, taking bronze in the mixed relay final for good measure. 

In June at the European Championships Ireland claimed a record haul of four medals and Adeleke was party to three of them.

She first took gold with the 4×400 metres mixed relay team (besting their Irish record from May) before her solo silver in the 400 metres which so nearly could have been gold (again smashing her own Irish record in the process), following it up with silver in the women’s 4×400 metres relay. 

 From that high an Olympic medal looked within her reach but unfortunately that wasn’t to be.

Accepting the Award, her proud mum Ade Ademola revealed to Awards MC Des Cahill the heartache of seeing her daughter come so close – fourth – to a medal at the Games. 

But 2024 was still an amazing year for the 22-year-old. At the end of it she holds 9 Irish records, seven individual and two relay. That is some achievement, and surely great things lie ahead for Adeleke in 2025. 

Team of the Year Award goes to Paralympian cyclists 

Katie-George Dunlevy, Ireland’s most decorated Irish Paralympic athlete, and her pilots Linda Kelly and Eve McCrystal claimed the ‘Team of the Year Award’ for their outstanding achievements at the Paralympics and World Championships this year. 

In an amazing year Dunlevy amassed 5 Paralympic and World Championship medals. 

In Paris, she won a gold and silver with new pilot Kelly as well as a silver with long-time partner McCrystal before going on to win two gold at the World Championships in Zurich with Kelly. 

For a group of athletes to achieve what this trio did in ordinary circumstances would be remarkable. The fact that Dunlevy and her pilots achieved these results in a year in which they suffered a litany of setbacks including multiple crashes, injuries and illnesses is barely believable. 

Other recipients of the 12 monthly awards included: 

Boxer Katie Taylor, who defeated Amanda Serrano in a fight for the ages in Arlington Texas in November; Ciara Mageean who won the 1500m final at the European Athletics Championships; swimmers Róisín Ní Riain and Mona McSharry for their exploits in the pool and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh who captained Kerry to All-Ireland glory. 

 The Sports Editor of The Irish Times Noel O’Reilly paid tribute to all the 2024 winners. 

“Twenty years ago, when the Sportswoman of the Year awards were launched, we could scarcely have imagined how high the bar would be raised.

“Each year soaring new standards continue to be set by Irish sportswomen, inspiring and challenging those who will come after them.” 

“It’s been a thrill and a pleasure for us to report on their feats. A scroll through our list of overall winners is a reminder of just how many magical days they have given us, and a memorable 2024 has proved to be an exceptional year on so many fronts.  

“A huge congratulations to all the monthly winners, sportswomen whose stories continue to show the next generation that nothing is impossible. 

“Here’s to another 20 years of excellence, and many more magical moments.” 

Sport Ireland CEO, Dr Úna May said 2024 had been a year of fantastic accomplishment for our sportswomen. 

“Our female athletes continue to demonstrate that with dedication, ambition, and determination, the extraordinary is possible.

“The diversity of sports being celebrated at these Awards highlights the incredible breadth of talent right across the nation.

“To all who stand behind these athletes — coaches, families, volunteers, clubs, and communities — your unwavering support is instrumental in these achievements, and we extend our gratitude to you all.”  

The first winner of The Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year Award back in 2004 was jockey Cathy Gannon.

Boxer Katie Taylor has won the overall award a record five times and been a monthly award winner 18 times.

Besides Kellie Harrington, the only other double award winner is Cork camogie and gaelic football player Briege Corkery.