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Puspure poses with her award. Morgan Treacy/INPHO
Dominant Force

World champion Sanita Puspure crowned Irish Sportswoman of the Year

The Latvian-born rower won her second successive World gold in the summer, and also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

ROWER SANITA PUSPURE has been named the Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year at the end of a 2019 in which she won her second successive World Championships gold medal in the single sculls.

Puspure, who turns 38 on Saturday, also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by way of her semi-final victory at the Worlds in Ottensheim, Austria during the summer.

Only weeks beforehand, Puspure had returned to Latvia to be with her sister, Inese, during the final stages of her battle with cancer.

deirdre-veldon-shane-ross-td-sanita-puspure-dr-una-may-and-sonia-osullivan Irish Times deputy editor Deirdre Veldon, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD, Sportswoman Of The Year Sanita Puspure, Dr Una May, and Sonia O'Sullivan. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

The Cork adoptee accepted her award from Sonia O’Sullivan at a ceremony in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel on Friday afternoon, succeeding 2018 world-champion boxer Kellie Harrington.

Kerry woman Mary Geaney, who captained her native county to All-Ireland football glory before leading Cork’s camogie team to All-Ireland success — the first-ever player to achieve such a feat — received the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award.

Monthly winners

December (2018): Mona McSharry – Swimming

January: Phil Healy – Athletics

February: Ciara Mageean – Athletics

March: Rachael Blackmore – Horse Racing

April: Leona Maguire – Golf

May: Jenny Egan – Canoeing

June: Katie Taylor – Boxing

July: Kate O’Connor and Rhasidat Adeleke – Athletics

August: Sanita Puspure – Rowing

September: Niamh Kilkenny – Camogie and Lyndsey Davey – Gaelic Football

October: Denise O’Sullivan – Soccer

November: Róisín Upton – Hockey

Overall Winner

Sainta Puspure – Rowing

utstanding Contribution to Sport Winner

Mary Geaney

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