The 2021 TI Awards
A very special 2021 awards took place as part of the inaugural Tri Day, a mix of kid’s Splash and Dash and club aquathlon relay racing in the National Aquatic Centre and the grounds of Sport Ireland Campus
The Community Celebrates
Triathletes and clubs travelled from all over the country, from Killarney to Donegal, and everywhere in between. Shoutout to Tyrone-based Tri Limits triathlon club arrived for a fun day out with a full bus load of almost their entire junior and senior club combined!
The day was made even more special by the fact that Russell White and Carolyn Hayes were in attendance for the day, giving athletes young and old the chance to meet Ireland’s Tokyo Olympic Triathletes.
The atmosphere was incredible as the community came together to celebrate not only 2021 achievements, but also everything that makes our sport so special. The first in person awards since 2019 was also the first time that our junior and youth athletes were present to collect their awards, the earlier start time made it possible for them all to take part.
As the sun shone down, the crowd were able to sit outside around the Event Marquee and listen to Tom Dalton from TD Performance open the awards. The various awards were presented by TI President Alan Ryan, National Coach Michael Black and Tokyo Olympians Russell White and Carolyn Hayes.
Keep reading below to find out who won the special category awards.
SPIRIT OF TRIATHLON AWARD
One of the biggest cheers of the afternoon went to South Coast Triathlon Club’s Molly Marshall.
This is a very special award, presented to those who embody the spirit of triathlon. The winner of this year’s award is best described by the person who nominated them…
“Despite Mollys’ physical disabilities due to having cerebral palsy she always trains and competes to the best of her ability with a constant smile on her face. She continues to inspire junior and senior triathletes, spectators and supporters all over the country who are lucky enough to see her train and race.”
Congratulations to Molly Marshall!
Coach of The Year
Gerard Vowles from Mallow Triathlon Club received the Coach of the Year award for his outstanding contribution to the club and commitment to its members.
“Ger includes everyone and ensures all abilities are catered for at every session or event we hold.”
Technical Official of the Year
Schull Triathlon Club’s Ian Haseldine was the 2021 recipient of Technical Official of the Year for his huge commitment and contribution to the sport of triathlon. Be sure to congratulate Ian when you see him out and about at your races this Summer!
Volunteer of the Year
Laura Kelly is Club PRO for Athlone Triathlon Club, and winner of this year’s Volunteer of the Year award.
As well as her PRO work, Laura has been involved in running some of the club’s challenges, including the recent ‘One Mile Every Hour’ Challenge which raised over €13,000 for Athlone TC’s Local Hospice. Laura’s club mates put it best;
“She has been an injection on enthusiasm and energy. She works tirelessly behind the scenes and always helps us as a club and indeed as individual triathletes to showcase the best version of ourselves.”
“Laura shines a light on us all but in my opinion she is the brightest light of all.”
Junior Athlete of the Year
Ralf Bodamer interrupted his Leaving Cert studies to attend on Sunday, picking up numerous awards for his outstanding national performances last year. Ralf is an incredibly promising young athlete and is part of both the Triathlon Ireland Emerging Talent and Junior High Performance Programmes.
Para Athlete of the Year
Donnacha McCarthy is Para Athlete of the Year.
Last year Donnacha had his first world cup win at the World Triathlon Para Cup Alanya. 2022 is off to a great start with a strong performance at last month’s European Middle Distance Duathlon Champs in Germany. Sending his apologies, Donnacha was unable to attend to collect his award.
Athlete of the Year
Carolyn Hayes is Athlete of the Year.
For the second awards in a row, Athlete of the Year goes to Tokyo 2020 Olympian Carolyn Hayes. As well as attending her first Olympics, some outstanding performances in 2021 included a second place at Lisbon World Cup and top ten finish at WTS Leeds.
Club of the Year
Athy Triathlon Club received the award for 2021 Club of the Year for their initiatives to maintain engagement during Covid-19 and implementing exceptional standards of good governance.
Among the praiseworthy elements noted by Triathlon Ireland’s judging committee were the club’s inclusive camps for junior members, organising a Youth Series duathlon with over 200 children taking part, and maintaining adult membership over 2021 while growing their junior section.
Race of the Year
Tri Tyrone is the Race of the Year 2021!
Race of the year was judged base on public vote of all National Series events as well as technical officials reports and event organisation standards. This year’s winner was also the Middle Distance National Championships, and will host the champs again in July 2022.
