President hails sporting heroines
Jockey Cathy Gannon was named Irish sportswoman of the year today as President Mary McAleese paid tribute to the country’s sporting heroines.
Ms Gannon, 23, from Donaghmede, north Dublin, is the first woman to be crowned Irish Champion Apprentice jockey.
She enrolled as a teenager at the Race Riding Academy in Kildare, and from there moved to trainer John Oxx’s base in the Curragh. Her ambition now is to turn professional – she currently has 82 winners and needs 13 more.
Ms Gannon rode 31 different horses to 33 victories in 2004 and, altogether from a total of 370 rides, reached the first four on 129 occasions with win and place money in excess of €600,000.
Mrs McAleese said all the nominees for the award gave inspiration and encouragement as they create this generation’s sporting story.
“My own two sports were badminton and camogie, neither of which I was particularly good at but I remember still the awesome pride generated by that great Antrim camogie team of the 1960s and how their national success gave young women of my generation the courage to aim high in all spheres of life,” she said.
“As Head of State, I don’t enjoy quite the level of freedom of expression I used to as a private citizen on sporting occasions but watch out or better still turn the cameras off the day an Antrim team lines out in Croke Park.”
Mrs McAleese said women’s enthusiasm for sports has never been in doubt but full and fair recognition of their worth has been slower to materialise.
“It is heartening to see that changing and, though there is a long way yet to go, these awards are a terrific vindication of the work done week in and week out to promote women in sport, by an army of athletes, coaches, sponsors, volunteers, clubs, organisations and schools,” she said.
“As a mother of two daughters immersed for years now in sport, I gratefully acknowledge the massive debt we parents owe to the many unselfish people who create sporting opportunities for our children and whose only reward is in their participation.
“I thank Mitsubishi Electric and the Irish Times for creating The Sportswoman of the Year Award.
“It is a considerable step forward in bringing women’s athletic achievements to the widest audience.
“It will deepen and widen public appreciation of Irish sportswomen and challenge the next generation to get ready to make their mark on the world of sport,” she added.
