Amy O'Connor joined an illustrious list of Echo Women in Sport winners

AS the dust settles on the 2022 Echo Women in Sport Awards, the best and brightest athletes from across Leeside are getting ready for the new season.

They came in their droves to Páirc Uí Chaoimh to celebrate their achievements, and pay homage to the overall winner on the night, Amy O’Connor, and the newest inductee into the hall of fame, Mary Newman.

Among those in attendance was basketball superstar Claire Melia, who received the monthly award in January 2022. She was selected after helping The Ambassador UCC Glanmire win the Grand Slam during her first season with the team.

Melia was instrumental in her team’s success as she missed the only two games that they lost in the season. If this wasn’t enough, she also single-handled brought her team back from a 14-point deficit in the National Cup final.

She sat across from Olympian Louise Shanahan, who came straight from London for the event. She was there celebrating becoming the British Universities indoor 800m champion in 2022 and breaking the Irish 800m record. This was almost a clean sweep for the runner, who is now preparing for the World Championships next August in Budapest.

They were joined by Louise Brady, who won a gold medal at the Youth World MMA Championships in Abu Dhabi last summer. The teenager, who is a student at North Pres Secondary School, is one of the most exciting prospects in MMA in Ireland and she represented the whole community on Thursday evening at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

One of the biggest names there was the most successful female boxer in the history of Cork, Christina Desmond. She collected the monthly award after winning a silver medal at the European Women’s Boxing Championships last October. This was another title to add to the Cill Na Matra native’s collection, and it joined her two overall Cork Women in Sport Awards from 2013 and 2019.

It was a collection that brought together athletes from different disciplines, and O’Connor won the overall prize. She collected the monthly award last May after helping Cork win the Munster Senior Camogie Championship. O’Connor then went on to lift a second successive Cork Senior Camogie Championship with Seandún, and she will captain her county in 2023.

By collecting that award, O’Connor joins a number of Leeside legends that includes footballer Denise O’Sullivan, Olympian Derval O’Rourke, and 18-time All-Ireland winner Rena Buckley.

She was also cited for her achievements as an underage soccer player with Ireland, a career she left behind so she could commit to her favourite sport.

SHOCK

Her shock was visibly evident when she went on stage to pick up the award on Thursday evening.

“I definitely did not expect to win so I’m in a state of shock,” she said, seconds after her name was called out.

“I was lucky enough to represent Ireland in soccer and I played a bit of Gaelic football as well, but ultimately, I always loved camogie. 

The joy I get when I’m playing camogie, I can’t explain it.

“I love playing camogie. I love running onto the pitch. I probably don’t love the pre-season training part, but genuine enjoyment is why I love camogie so much. That made my decision all that bit easier, all those years ago.”

That was preceded by Newman being inducted into The Echo Women in Sport Awards Hall of Fame. The Glen Rovers legend comes from a family steeped in the green, black, and yellow of one of the most storied clubs in Cork.

Newman’s love takes in all aspects of camogie as she held a number of roles with the county board over the years. She was joined on the night by her family, who first introduced her to camogie.

Newman was in a state of disbelief when she collected the award, and she attributed that moment of her introduction to the game to when her mother first brought her onto the sidelines for a match.

“Camogie means everything to me. In the pram, where else was I going? My mother said they had no one to mind me to they had to bring me to the matches,” she said, just seconds after collecting the award,” she said.