Ahead of the RTÉ Sport Awards, the 12 nominees for the RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year award have been named, with Paris 2024 gold medallists Rhys McClenaghan, Daniel Wiffen, Kellie Harrington, Paul O’Donovan and Katie-George Dunlevy selected alongside Katie Taylor, Paul Townend, Anthony Cacace, Shane O’Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Ciara Mageean and Róisín Ní Ríain.
Joanne Cantwell, Darragh Maloney and Jacqui Hurley will present the awards ceremony from Studio 4 in RTÉ on Sunday, 15 December, with the action broadcast live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player from 9.30pm.
The awards being handed out on the night in front of an audience of Irish sports stars include the RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year, the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year, the RTÉ Sport Manager of the Year and the RTÉ Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year.
RHYS MCCLENAGHAN – GYMNASTICS
The reigning RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year followed up a brilliant 2023 with an even better 2024. McClenaghan became the first ever Irish gymnast to medal at an Olympic Games, picking up pommel horse gold and banishing the heartbreak he suffered in Tokyo three years earlier.
KELLIE HARRINGTON – BOXING
Harrington became Ireland’s first individual back-to-back Olympic champion at Paris 2024, adding gold to the gold she picked up at Tokyo 2020.
DANIEL WIFFEN – SWIMMING
If 2023 was his breakout year, 2024 was the year in which Wiffen arrived. Double World gold was followed up with an Olympic gold and bronze and an 800m freestyle Olympic record.
CIARA MAGEEAN – ATHLETICS
Mageean won gold in the 1500m at the European Championships, achieving a lifelong dream after silvers at the event in 2022 and 2024, and a bronze in 2016.
SHANE O’DONNELL – HURLING
The star Clare forward hurler earned the title of GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year and The Sunday Game Hurler of the Year 2024 after achieving league and All-Ireland glory with his county.
PAUL O’DONOVAN – ROWING
After a successful Paris 2024, O’Donovan became the first Irish Olympian to win medals at three consecutive games, winning Olympic gold in the double sculls. He also landed gold at the World Rowing Championships in the single sculls.
KATIE-GEORGE DUNLEVY – PARA-CYCLING
In 2024, Ireland’s most successful female Paralympic athlete brought home a gold and two silvers, bringing her Paralympic medal haul to eight across three Games. She also picked double World Championships golds this year.
KATIE TAYLOR – BOXING
The Bray boxer is the undisputed world super-lightweight champion. This year she defended her status as undisputed world light-welterweight champion, following a unanimous decision victory over Amanda Serrano in Texas.
PAUL TOWNEND – HORSE RACING
The second jockey in history and the first since 1930 to win the Champion Hurdle, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same season.
ANTHONY CACACE – BOXING
The boxer beat Joe Cordina to take the IBF world title belt and become Ireland’s first super-featherweight champion.
RHASIDAT ADELEKE – ATHLETICS
After a breakout year, Adeleke won gold at the European Championships as part of the mixed relay team, individual silver in the 400m and silver in the women’s 4x400m, as well as breaking a whole host of national records and becoming Irish Athlete of the Year.
RÓISÍN NÍ RIAIN – PARA-SWIMMING
After making her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Ní Riain became a double medallist, taking home a silver and bronze medal at this year’s Games in Paris in the 100m backstroke S13 and the 200m Iidividual medley SM13, as well as double gold at the European Championships in the 100m backstroke and the 100m breaststroke.
