Star jockey Rachael Blackmore named RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year

Skibbereen rowing mentor Dominic casey named Manager of the Year while young Irish keeper Gavin Bazunu also recognised

WHAT A YEAR: Pictured receiving the RTE Sport Sportsperson of the Year award at the RTE Sport Awards is Rachael Blackmore. Picture: Naoise Culhane

CHELTENHAM heroine Rachael Blackmore has been named RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year. The National Hunt jockey twice made history this year. 

Firstly, with a stunning week at the Cheltenham Festival, where she was the first-ever female to be crowned ‘Top Jockey’, with six wins, including in the Champion Hurdle with Honeysuckle. 

She then followed that up at Aintree, as she became the first female jockey to win the Randox Grand National with Minella Times.

Young Sportsperson of the Year, Gavin Bazunu. Picture: Naoise Culhane-no fee

The Republic of Ireland young goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was named Young Sportsperson of the Year after a 2021 in which he had several nights to remember as he became a permanent fixture in Stephen Kenny’s side. 

The 19-year-old stopper produced a string of world-class saves, the highlight of which was to deny Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot.

Ireland’s lightweight rowing head coach Dominic Casey won Manager of the Year for a year in which he again oversaw success on the water with Ireland’s first-ever rowing Olympic gold medal. 

The 2018 World Rowing Coach of the Year was celebrated as Paul O’Donovan & Fintan McCarthy put in several dominant displays throughout the year, firstly in the Lightweight doubles sculls at the European Championships and then the Tokyo Olympics.

Dominic Casey of Skibbereen Rowing Club took home the Manager of the Year award. Picture: Naoise Culhane

Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal were named as the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year. 2021 saw the tandem para-cycling stars have their best Paralympic games yet, with two gold medals and a silver at Tokyo 2020. 

They inspirationally seized silver at the velodrome in the B 3,000m individual pursuit. On the roads of Mount Fuji they retained the time trial title they won in Rio five years ago, before completing their triple medal haul in the B road race at the Fuji International Speedway.

Also, double World cross country champion, Olympic silver medallist and soon-to-be-retiring chief executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy inducted to the RTÉ Sport Hall of Fame.