Fiona Everard picked as Cork City Sports Athlete of the Year award winner

THE surprise on Fiona Everard’s face when she was announced as Cork City Sports Athlete of the Year for 2023 was nearly as great as when crossing the line to win the national senior cross-country at Kilkenny last November.

“Yes, you could say it is on par with that,” admitted the delighted Bandon athlete as she looked back on that day at Gowran when she produced one of the major shocks of the Irish athletics year.

That won her the monthly Cork City Sports Award for November and remarkably she also received the accolade for April after her victory in the Irish Universities 5000m. “I’m delighted to win this overall award considering the standard of athletics in Cork at the moment,” said the 25-year-old.

“It’s so competitive now and the standards seem to be getting better and I think it makes everyone increase their own targets and achieve a bit more. Thanks to everyone involved, I can look back at the last season and be happy with it, it’s certainly something I don’t take for granted."

On that November Sunday, on a very difficult and muddy course which this year was increased to 9km, Everard surprised everyone – including herself - when she crossed the line with almost 40 seconds to spare over the more experienced Mary Mulhare from Portlaoise.

“That did mean a lot to me and also to my family, they were the ones who stuck with me when I was getting injured and kept me going through that. 

They do so much for my running anyway, my mum would be driving me here, there and everywhere to races and training, so it was really nice.

“My coach Matt Lockett and myself put a lot of work into it, so it was nice seeing it paying off. It was a shock to me, I know I was hoping for the top three but I suppose I always doubted myself a bit when going into races, but Matt said it wasn’t as much as a shock to him.” 

The following month it was another big step-up for Everard at the European Championships in Brussels where, as part of the Irish team who came eighth, she finished a creditable 34th.

Currently studying for a Masters in Biomedical Science at the University of Galway, the focus now turns to the road in the immediate future.

“I’m going to do a 10km in March on the roads, we’re not sure where yet but we’re looking at a few different options and then hopefully over the summer the 5km and 10km on the track.

“I think I definitely got a lot of confidence from last year and so I’m hoping to use that and just push on. Whenever you do well you want to push on anyway and I think I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and don’t change anything drastic and hopefully get those performances.” 

 Although she has run the 10km distance on the track and cross-country, she has never raced that distance on the road. The longest was a Cork BHAA four-mile at Carrigtwohill a year ago last August.

That was her first competitive event back after a number of frustrating years out through injury, following an outstanding schools’ career with MICC, Dunmanway, that promised so much.

Looking back on that occasion, it would safe to say that amongst the 500 participants that night few if any were aware who the runner in the Bandon singlet finishing second to Hannah Steeds was.

A lot has certainly changed for the Enniskeane native in the intervening period and there is no doubt that Fiona Everard is a most deserving and popular winner of this prestigious annual award.

The Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month and Yearly Awards are sponsored by the River Lee, 96&C103FM, The Echo, Cork Crystal and Leisureworld.

Cork City Sports Monthly Award Winners 

January Alex Ademola (Leevale AC) 

February Ben Donovan (Cork Track Club) 

March Nicola Tuthill (Bandon AC) 

April Fiona Everard (Bandon AC and NUI Galway) 

May Una Brice (Leevale AC and Mount Mercy College) 

June James Ezeonu (Leevale AC) 

July Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore-Cobh AC) 

August Colin Doyle (Leevale AC)   

September Lizzie Lee (Leevale AC) 

October Ryan Creech (Leevale AC) 

November Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) 

December Sean Lawton (Durrus AC)