North Sligo Athletic Club’s Chris O’Donnell and the Ireland 4 x 400 metres mixed relay team were named as the Team of the Year at the Athletics Ireland awards ceremony in Santry on Wednesday.
O’Donnell helped the quartet, which also included Jack Raftery, Sophie Becker and Sharlene Mawdsley, to reach the final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest earlier this year, where they finished sixth overall.
It was the mixed relay team’s third consecutive major final to reach a major final.
A former coach and Chairperson of North Sligo Athletic Club was presented with a ‘Lifetime Services’ award at the same ceremony.
Irish 100km record holder Ciaran McGonagle reacts to winning the Ultra Runner of the Year award at the @Ask123ie National Athletics Awards 🎤🗣️#IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/pXBCZqKHuQ
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) November 22, 2023
Matt Lynch was deeply involved with North Sligo athletics for several years before relocating to Kilkenny and linking up with Kilkenny City Harriers.
Sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke and distance runner Ciara Mageean become the first joint Athlete of the Year winners on the back of their respective outstanding seasons.
Mageean was also named Track Athlete of the Year, while Adeleke took the U23 Athlete of the Year gong.
Men’s sprinter Israel Olatunde won the International Performance of the Year award after breaking Paul Hession’s 16-year-old record for the indoor 60m at the Irish indoor Championships last February.
Other winners included:
Endurance Athlete of the Year: Brian Fay
U20 Athlete of the Year: Elizabeth Ndudi (Long Jump)
Services to Coaching Award: John Sheehy (Leevale)
Schools Athlete of the Year: Adam Nolan
University Athlete of the Year: Nicola Tuthill (UCD)
Mountain Runner of the Year: Becky Quinn
Masters Athlete of the Year: Annette Quaid
Development Club of the Year: Ratoath AC (Meath)
Performance Club of the Year: Leevale AC (Cork).
