Popular Echo Women in Sport awards return for a 16th year

Annette Quaid, Louise Shanahan and Claire Melia have been selected as the monthly winners for the first quarter of 2022
Popular Echo Women in Sport awards return for a 16th year

The Jerry Kiernan Foundation sponsored athlete Louise Shanahan. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

THE prestigious Echo Women in Sport awards are back for a 16th year.

The popular scheme shines the spotlight on the best of female sport in Cork city and county across each year before an overall winner is crowned from some of the most gifted athletes in Ireland.

Skibbereen rowing superstar Emily Hegarty, an Olympian, was selected for the top prize from 2021 while the late Sharon O'Keeffe was posthumously picked for the Hall of Fame for her dedication to ladies football.

The recipients for the first three months of 2022 have been selected by our judges: Glanmire basketball sensation Claire Melia, explosive runner Louise Shanahan and Annette Quaid, after her 400m Masters World title success.

Annette Quaid, Leevale AC, with her medals from the European Masters Indoor Athletics Championships. Picture: Denis Minihane.
Annette Quaid, Leevale AC, with her medals from the European Masters Indoor Athletics Championships. Picture: Denis Minihane.

You can now submit your nominees for the prizes via our online form on the Echo website. It's open to all female athletes aged 16 and over, across all sports.

Our judging panel will access all the online submissions before finalising the winners each month.

 Claire Melia in action for The Address UCC Glanmire. Picture: Larry Cummins.
Claire Melia in action for The Address UCC Glanmire. Picture: Larry Cummins.

Previous Echo Sportswoman of the Year winners...

2007: Jessica Scannell 

2008: Briege Corkery 

2009: Olive Loughnane 

2010: Derval O’Rourke 

2011: Juliet Murphy 

2012: Orla Barry 

2013: Christina Desmond 

2014: Denise O’Sullivan 

2015: Lizzie Lee 

2016: Rena Buckley 

2017: Saoirse Noonan 

2018: Sanita Puspure 

2019: Christina Desmond 

2020: Sanita Puspure

2021: Emily Hegarty

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